For as long as the tennis following world can remember (Grand Slam-wise), Andy Murray has been handcuffed by someone born exactly one week after him. Novak Djokovic. And while the two were once very close head-to-head, Novak seems to always find a way.
Murray, at one point, was doing pretty good vs. the Serb. When he beat Djokovic in the finals of the US Open in 2012 (Which, I admit, seems so long ago), it was 8-7 for Novak. However, Murray, who'd started out 0-4 like a baseball player in first game, had gone 7-4 since. Things were looking up as Murray had also topped Djokovic at the Olympics that year. By routing Roger Federer in the finals, he got the gold. And right there at the All England Lawn Tennis And Croquet Club! Within a year, the Scotsman would deliver what everyone in the United Kingdom had waited for in men's tennis since Fred Perry had last triumphed in 1936.
Another victory over Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2013 seemed to cement Andy's place on the upper echelon of (Current) tennis. Federer and Rafael Nadal had lost early, Stan Wawrinka didn't even had a Grand Slam to his name at this point. Well?
Well, Djokovic has since raised his game to another level. Murray has yet to. And Andy now has to be content with his victory (In three sets) over the Serbian in Montreal last year as his most recent victory over his rival. Novak has won their other 10 encounters since their grand finale at tennis' centre stage.
So, as they are set for their fifth Australian Open match (A record, by the way. No other twosome have faced each other so many times Down Under in the finals in men's tennis), what can the Scot do to turn things around.
I'm a big believer in "Getting off on the right foot" in every sport you play. In golf, you want to have a good first hole. In basketball and hockey, it's a good first period or quarter. It does good things to the mind (More on that later). And at the Australian Open, this is especially important. The longer it goes the more you feel the heat!
Andy's problem's have always been as such. He doesn't seem to believe in himself. When things start going his way, you can see it. His opponent is starting to come, and Andy is starting to go. He'll start talking to himself, throwing his hands up, as if to say, "What do I have to do to beat This Guy?!" Of course, too many times, "This guy" has been Djokovic.
Is it just me, or does it seem that Djokovic feeds off what you lack? As in confidence. He's done this to Federer and Nadal. He sees you doubting yourself, and just pounces like a vulture sweeping down on some dead animal.
But Murray can be a positive thinker. When he shouts, "Come on!", I think that's him not only pumping himself up, but also a loud reminder to keep this up. Against Djokovic, there is an inevitable feeling that there will be many a negative moment. Murray needs to grasp at the positive, rather than the negative, which can drag on.
A good start to the match helps this, too.
Murray, at one point, was doing pretty good vs. the Serb. When he beat Djokovic in the finals of the US Open in 2012 (Which, I admit, seems so long ago), it was 8-7 for Novak. However, Murray, who'd started out 0-4 like a baseball player in first game, had gone 7-4 since. Things were looking up as Murray had also topped Djokovic at the Olympics that year. By routing Roger Federer in the finals, he got the gold. And right there at the All England Lawn Tennis And Croquet Club! Within a year, the Scotsman would deliver what everyone in the United Kingdom had waited for in men's tennis since Fred Perry had last triumphed in 1936.
Another victory over Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2013 seemed to cement Andy's place on the upper echelon of (Current) tennis. Federer and Rafael Nadal had lost early, Stan Wawrinka didn't even had a Grand Slam to his name at this point. Well?
Well, Djokovic has since raised his game to another level. Murray has yet to. And Andy now has to be content with his victory (In three sets) over the Serbian in Montreal last year as his most recent victory over his rival. Novak has won their other 10 encounters since their grand finale at tennis' centre stage.
So, as they are set for their fifth Australian Open match (A record, by the way. No other twosome have faced each other so many times Down Under in the finals in men's tennis), what can the Scot do to turn things around.
1) A Good Start
I'm a big believer in "Getting off on the right foot" in every sport you play. In golf, you want to have a good first hole. In basketball and hockey, it's a good first period or quarter. It does good things to the mind (More on that later). And at the Australian Open, this is especially important. The longer it goes the more you feel the heat!
2) Belief
Andy's problem's have always been as such. He doesn't seem to believe in himself. When things start going his way, you can see it. His opponent is starting to come, and Andy is starting to go. He'll start talking to himself, throwing his hands up, as if to say, "What do I have to do to beat This Guy?!" Of course, too many times, "This guy" has been Djokovic.
Is it just me, or does it seem that Djokovic feeds off what you lack? As in confidence. He's done this to Federer and Nadal. He sees you doubting yourself, and just pounces like a vulture sweeping down on some dead animal.
But Murray can be a positive thinker. When he shouts, "Come on!", I think that's him not only pumping himself up, but also a loud reminder to keep this up. Against Djokovic, there is an inevitable feeling that there will be many a negative moment. Murray needs to grasp at the positive, rather than the negative, which can drag on.
A good start to the match helps this, too.
3) Play To Win
Somewhere, Herman Edwards is smiling at the very mention of those three words. But very seriously, Murray can't do two things that give Djokovic an advantage. He can't keep the ball in play and hope that Djokovic will miss. More than likely, Novak will come up with The Big Shot, that gives him the edge in the rally. Andy is not going to win by chasing down all the shots that Djokovic is making, either. Sorry.
Murray has to be on the imitative from the get-go. Again, this is where a good start will help. Andy cannot play "Not to lose", because a guy like Novak will press you if you just bunt the ball back. On the "Big points", the 30-30s, the 40-30, the Ad-In / Ad-Outs, the 5/6's (In tiebreakers) the same thing applies. Novak is not going to lose the points here unless Andy makes him. And the longer the match goes, the more situations like this will present themselves to both players. Murray needs these. Needs to "win" these!
4) Play In The Present
This is more a generic key, to pretty much any tennis match. All you youngsters just starting the sport, this is the best bit of advice I can give you or anyone else.
But for Murray, I think this is a problem. He tends, especially when he losses his mind, to go into valleys (Cancelling out his peaks), especially against Djokovic. Andy needs to put a tough point that he just lost behind him. Just like he needs to put the 9-21 record against Novak behind him. It's 2016, Andy is a better player than in previous years. Murray's win over Milos Raonic in the semifinals was a gutsy effort on the Scotsman's part.
What Andy also doesn't need to do is get ahead of himself. How many times in the past did it look like Murray was about to pull ahead of Novak (Think after two sets in the 2014 US Open. Think after two sets at last year's Australian Open), and suddenly, he fell flat. He needs to build on anything he has been doing right, and forget about that last point he just lost. Very tough to do in tennis. Especially against the Serb.
References
References
Collins, Bud. The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book. Washington, D.C.: New Chapter, 2010. Print.
"Official Site of Men's Professional Tennis | ATP World Tour Tennis." http://www.atpworldtour.com/ Web. (30 January, 2016)
"Djokovic–Murray Rivalry." Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djokovic-Murray_rivalry Web. (30 January, 2016)
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