When Andy Murray stepped on court with his cap, his frizzy hair, phenomenal talent and that scorn on his face, he mesmerised the tennis world with the simplicity of his game, which was nevertheless effective and consistent. I am not an ardent admirer of Murray but I cannot deny the fact that I enjoy his game.

He is quite a talent on the ATP Tour and will be termed for the next year or so as that prodigal young talent. But after that he will no longer be that young talent but a Tour veteran. The way he is going, a few years from now if he remains the same he will be the could-have-been talent who became a perennial under-achiever.

He has the ability to win a Grand Slam. In fact, multiple Grand Slams if he rises to his true potential. To do that he needs to fix some grey areas of his game.

‘We have seen Tim Henman succumb to such pressures and remain a player full of under-achievement’


He has talent, period. There is nothing in that statement we can deny. He has good ground strokes; he has the ability to adapt to different surfaces and has an acceptable speed around the courts. What I feel he lacks is the big-match temperament, fitness and maybe some attitude.

Most recently he had a memorable encounter with Roger Federer which he won with some conviction. He has had some good wins over other top 10 players as well. What he lacks is the consistency to do it tournament after tournament, without exception and without excuses.

Novak Djokovic and Murray, along with Richard Gasquet, were the new faces of men's tennis. Out of these three Djokovic has proved his calibre beyond doubt, racing through the rankings and comfortably positioning himself as the third best player in the world and even threatening to overtake Rafael Nadal. Though he has some way to go before he can really join the elite, Gasquet has had some good results, including a semi-final showing at Wimbledon and wins in tournaments around the world on all the surfaces.

Murray on the other hand has had a strenuous route to stardom. It is an uphill task to live up to the expectation of British fans in a country that invented the sport. We have seen Tim Henman succumb to such pressures and remain a player full of under-achievement. It has only been a few years since Murray began to make his name on the circuit and come Wimbledon he faces the pinch of the home supporters. If he is to succeed he has to overcome this hiccup or else he can never win Wimbledon.

Fitness is another question bothering him. If he cannot spruce up his fitness levels, it will be doubly difficult on his body and mind to tolerate competition at such intensity. There are many players who had had to take their fitness up another gear after having become a regular feature of the tour. Federer admitted that his fitness did not keep pace with his talent in the early part of his career. He then had to work on it for a period of three years after which he started to bring about some healthy results, including his first Grand Slam at Wimbledon and the other 11 that followed. Murray needs to do the same if he wishes to stay at the top of the game for the next few years.

Finally, there is his attitude. At times I have felt him to be a little cocky in his interviews. He must be reminded that even Djokovic, known for his cockiness, became super confident after delivering some really handsome results. Federer became cocky, or rather unapologetic about his superior talent, only after he achieved some really astonishing results on tour. Murray hasn’t achieved anything yet and his permanent scorn needs to be replaced with some grit and determination and maybe a good old dose of modesty.

The young Scot has everything, but then again, the difference between cooked food and bare ingredients is the way they have been put together. He seems to be in some haste, but in haste you can never put together a delicious course, let alone a champion.