It was once said that Andre Agassi played like a man who was six and a half feet tall despite being under six feet….The reason for this was because Agassi took the ball so early he gave his opponents no time and they were forced to move around to retrieve his shots which were given a lot of extra MPH because he took them on the rise.
Conversely, I would say that Andy Murray who is six foot three plays like a man who is under six feet tall retrieving balls and running around the baseline instead of trying to dictate with either his backhand or his forehand or approaching the net….He has the perfect build for a successful volleyer but yet almost never comes in.
A tall, lanky guy like Murray may be able to win a lot of matches through sheer stubbornness and force of will despite playing this self-defeating backcourt game but he won’t beat the best in the world consistently or in the big tournaments where a guy like Federer will raise his mental level from smaller tournaments like Doha or Cincinatti (where Murray had beaten Fed in the past).
It might be too late in the game for Murray to change much (if I had been his childhood coach, I would have definitely urged him to change to a one-handed backhand)….However, he could at least be more aggressive….Playing the role of a retriever works for Rafael Nadal because of his wicked topspin….Murray hits the ball considerably flatter and this allows Federer to impose his own game….In addition, the occasional short Murray ball is an easy put away.
Watching Andy Murray is like watching someone you know would be a really good dancer or singer do tax accounting for a living….He’s playing the wrong style of tennis for both is physique and his goals/aspirations to be the best.
I was also going to mention something about Federer winning the grand slam this year but I don’t want to jinx it!!!!!
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