After the five-set struggle with a sore throat and a wild card, Andy Murray used his second-round match in Paris to show us what we've been missing. A straight-sets win over Jose Acasuso took the Scot into the third round of the French Open for the first time.

Was this enough to prove that Murray has what it takes to be a superstar on clay? On its own it wasn't. He's not done enough on the surface to prove that yet. But looking at the wider picture, performances like this suggest what many of us either predicted or hoped: that Murray has the game to be a superstar, or at least pretty damn good, on whatever surface he chooses.

'The heartening thing about his second-round victory at Roland Garros was that his peak game does seem to have matured'


The injuries that have blighted his recent career have hopefully now disappeared. A sustained period of fitness will satisfy the doubters, and crucially satisfy Andy, that his body is not as brittle as many have feared.

I would also suggest that a very good run in a Grand Slam event will be needed before he can consider himself ready to challenge for greatness. I don't mean a victory, I mean a storming run to a semi or a final and then a defeat. A defeat preferably in a good match. A “hold my hands up, I was completely fit, just beaten by the better player on the day” type defeat.

Because my worry has always been that it's not surfaces or dodgy joints that cause Andy problems. Rather he himself is the architect of many of his downfalls.

I don't want to know of every ailment. So on Sunday he has a sore throat. Why tell us? Just say it was an off day and that you'll improve. I think that sends out a stronger message to your next opponent.

Yet Murray has set himself up as whiner. His Kevin the Teenager act is tiresome, the constant stream of excuses even more so. And it all seemed to ring quite hollow. The petulance on and off court would be great if, like John McEnroe, he really didn't care. But he does seem to. He seems genuinely stung by some of the criticism he gets.

That would appear to be the reason behind hiring a former tabloid editor as his PR guru. True, the press have not been blameless. The “anyone but England” saga was blown out of proportion by a press that chose to ignore that the jibe was aimed at Tim Henman who was present at the time. It was a joke that went wrong.

Pulling out of Wimbledon last year was maybe the right decision. But the sheer length of his lay-off seemed to rob him of momentum. It also seemed to be the tipping point for the British public who were apparently willing him to inherit Henman's crown. Although many Scots would argue that middle class Dunblane is the perfect breeding ground for Henman-lites, Murray's extended teenage rebellion always made it unlikely that he would choose to become the darling of Henman Hill.

Pulling out of the Davis Cup was the wrong decision at the wrong time. The public spat with his brother was foolish. Again, I repeat, none of this would matter if Murray really didn't care. But he does and the off-court pressure he has heaped on himself detracts from his game.

The heartening thing about his second round victory at Roland Garros was that his peak game does seem to have matured. Gone, for example, are the tepid drop shots that were his default whenever he was caught in two minds a couple of years ago.

Because what Murray really needs to do is grow up. Compare him to the young Boris Becker? To Rafael Nadal on clay? The game might be there but the attitude is lacking. That's why I feel he needs the loss in the big game.

Triumph and Disaster. Andy Murray will be reminded of those words at Wimbledon again this year. His tilt at greatness depends not on the surface but on maturity and, ultimately, on his ability to treat Kipling's twin impostors just the same.