Andy Murray is still dealing with a far-from perfect hip two years after announcing that he was retiring. His battling a lot now, and yes, he is more controlled, more powerful and hitting the ball a little bit deeper. But the three-time Grand Slam champion is still far away from the ability to beat the top players, such as Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer.
The intense grinder recently lost to Andrey Rublev in Rotterdam, and he looked OK. But, as he said in the second set, Murray amassed way too many errors. He is very bright, but he can rip himself when he loses.
“I did some things quite well in the first set, but when it mattered I didn’t play well. To me that’s just not good enough,” Murray said about the match. “I felt in that moment at the end of the first set that I blew it a bit. I’m not used to making those errors in those moments and I’m finding that quite frustrating, and mentally finding myself looking back on those moments a little bit too much.”
Yes, he can scream on the court, and everyone hears him. When he was ranked at the top of his game, Murray nailed his forehand and backhand, his first serve, and his return. He just loves to play, all of the time. But if he gets hurt again, then it is doubtful that Murray can go deep at the Grand Slams. Right now, he can win one or two, but if he starts to breakdown, on court, then see ya’ later.
“I want to play as much as I can but also bearing in mind I have to be smart with the decisions about which tournaments to play,” said Murray. “Hopefully I be able to play in Dubai and Miami and then see from there.”
The former No.1 Murray is ranked No. 123, and in the past two years and two months, in 2019, 2020 and 2021, he has won 15 matches and 13 losses. No bad, but not great.
He is making a huge effort in the singles. He wants to show that he can beat everyone, at some point. In 2021, he will continue to up the rankings ladder. Can he reach the top 50 during the spring? Yes. If he does that, perhaps can he push into the top 30? Yes, he can, as long as his racked body continues to heal. If he can, then the people will recall that he is a specular player. It is up in the air.