Is Andy Murray plummeting? Well not yet. Murray has been struggling months after he lost to Roger Federer in the finals of the Australian Open.
Murray, ranked fourth in the world, admitted that he has been dealing with mental lapses leading to strings of unexpected losses.
Recently, Murray took another defeat from American Mardy Fish 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 in the third round of the AEGON championship two weeks ago.
However, the most painful defeat was in the French Open, where he absorbed a 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 beating to Czech Tomas Berdych in the fourth round.
Murray Needs to Beat his Mental Game
Murray shared why his performance has been patchy since the initial rounds of the Roland Garros. He says had a rough time surpassing the first round. He played five sets with Richard Gasquet, then he was up against Juan Ignacio Chela.
Their match was rather difficult because of weather interruptions. Afterwards, he had a match with Baghdatis. What appeared to be a sure match to Murray suddenly took a different course and a 23-minute interval set pushed through. Murray had to struggle before winning the match by only 10 points.
However, despite his rough sail into the French Open tournament, Murray expressed that his play was still a lot better than his previous performances and he felt happy with that in mind.
The rough experience he had at the French Open did not dampen the spirits of the British player. Instead, Murray says that he needs to get past his defeat since the next few weeks will also be crucial for him.
He also said that despite losing the match to Berdych and having to go through tough matches his desire to win has only increased. In Murray’s own words: he’s still hungry for a title.
Murray is optimistic for the Wimbledon Open. Further, he emphasized that his energy should be focused on his next matches instead of brooding over his losses.
Murray reportedly spent more time in practice to make sure that his play is polished enough to support his title bid at Wimbledon.
Admitting Mental Lapses
Murray admitted he has been dealing mental lapses in the past several months. He said the enormous pressure to win his first Grand Slam really affected his mental game.
Even before clay season started, Murray had been attending session with a psychiatrist to improve his mental toughness.
Murray said he must overcome his mental woes to play well in crucial matches and be able to win a majors title.
Murray, a native of Scotland, will once again represent Britain in the Wimbledon Open. He knows that he has the biggest chance of winning the Kingdom’s first Slam since Fred Perry did the trick in 1936.
Still, the questions remains over his mental toughness. Can he go all the way to capture the Wimbledon trophy? Can he become the savior of the Briton’s Grand Slam misery?
Right now, Murray will face Jan Hájek of Czech Republic. Ranked 90th in the world, Hájek appears to be an easy opponent for Murray.
Nevertheless, Murray must show how his mental game has improved over the last two weeks. The match is crucial and Murray had nothing to do but to step up to the challenge.
If he ever goes through the rounds, the toughest opponent that could threaten in his draw will be No.14 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain.
For now, everything is just speculation. Murray is once again carrying Britain’s hope and we don’t know whether he can take it all the way.
Only Murray alone can tell, after all anything can happen in the Wimbledon Open.
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