Tennis Podcast: Navratilova says Serena and Novak are favourites
Only 13 months ago, Murray was seen as an also-ran for the French Open. As he returned to the European tour after his wedding to Kim – and a brief “mini-moon” in Scotland – his prospects were hampered by a mediocre clay-court record: no titles won, and only a single career victory over a top 10 opponent (Juan Martin del Potro, since you ask).
Yet a new narrative began in Munich that week, starting with an unremarkable victory over world No 653 Mischa Zverev. The red dirt had previously felt like another planet for Murray, but now he discovered his inner Martian, reeling off 10 straight wins which included a 6-3, 6-2 demolition of Rafael Nadal – the ultimate specialist on this surface – in Madrid.
Since then, Murray has won 91 per cent of his matches on clay – a giant step up from his previous career figure of 69 per cent – including two Masters titles. Suddenly the bookmakers are quoting him at similar odds as nine-time champion Nadal to win the French Open that begins today. But how has he converted himself from clayphobe to dirtballer in such a short time?
As with so much in life, balance is the key. Until recently, Murray’s first steps on clay would find him moving as gingerly as a sea dog returning to dry land. When he lost his shape – as he often did on tennis’s slipperiest surface – pain would go shooting up his spine. Remember the notorious back spasm against Jarkko Nieminen in 2012, which prompted Virginia Wade to dub him a “drama queen”?
So the real starting point for this about-turn was actually the back operation that Murray underwent in September 2013 – an operation, interestingly, that his then coach Ivan Lendl was less than keen on. The downside – and it was a significant one – was that it took Murray more than a year to recover his game and his aura. But once he had forced his way back into the grand-slam equation, he was finally able to practise and play without worrying about his structural integrity.
In the middle of April last year, he went straight from that mini-break in Scotland with Kim to a clay-court training block in Barcelona where he worked relentlessly with his then assistant coach Jonas Bjorkman. That was the catalyst for a chain reaction that really caught light when he beat Philipp Kohlschreiber twice in the space of 24 hours, first in Munich and then in Madrid.
“It’s been nice at this stage in my career to achieve things that I’d never done and maybe thought that I wouldn’t,” said Murray. “Winning in Rome [last Sunday] – I’d had some terrible times there over the years with injuries, with my back, so that was amazing, one of my nicest wins. I really enjoyed that. The French Open is the only slam I haven’t played the final of, so if I could do that, I would have played in the final of pretty much all the major events in tennis bar Monte Carlo. It would be nice, but I’m not here to reach the final.”
If clay has suddenly gone from Murray’s weakest surface to his best, at least in terms of results, it has also provided him with an opportunity to show off his flair and touch. Because of the high bounce, he is able to push players back behind the baseline with the weight of his groundstrokes, and then toss in the drop shot (see graphic).
Tennis’s answer to a footballer’s nutmeg, a leg-spinner’s googly or a scrum-half’s dummy, the drop shot is a tactic that several of Murray coaches – notably Brad Gilbert and Lendl himself – have tried to wean him off. But he grew up using it to confound amateur enthusiasts at the Bridge of Allan tennis club. It has become hardwired into his DNA.
“I think he is playing the way he wants to play, the way he used to play before Ivan,” said the commentator and three-time French Open champion Mats Wilander, who will be working on Eurosport’s live coverage from Paris.
“That means being a little more creative, taking the ball early, hitting big first serves. Also I think the fact that he is not expected to do so well on clay puts him in a better frame of mind. His sudden success on this surface feels like a bonus, and that takes the pressure off him.”
That sense of freedom will probably evaporate as perception catches up with reality. But this year’s French Open could potentially represent a sweet spot for Murray.
Friday’s draw fell perfectly for him, in theory, as his two leading rivals, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, found themselves on track to meet in the semi-final. If the formbook of the last month is any guide, Murray could end up facing Djokovic in a repeat of the Rome final from last week. And if there is ever a good time to play the world No 1, this might be it.
Djokovic has so much riding on this tournament – the only one of the four grand slams that he has yet to capture – that he would hardly be human if he did not feel a little extra tension in his racket arm.
“Novak was probably going into last week’s match a bit tired,” said Murray, in relation to his Roman triumph. “But I did a good job of staying solid the whole way through. I was pretty calm, made good decisions under pressure and that’s what you need to do on clay. My serve was huge for me too, not just last week but through Madrid as well. I need to serve well to beat the best players but I’ve made big improvements on that side of things and hopefully it keeps going that way.”
Should the planets align over the next fortnight, we could yet see the completion of one of tennis’s most unlikely transformations. Even Andre Agassi’s journey from denim-shorted rebel to beatific tennis Buddha would have nothing on this.