Andy Murray sublime athlete

[whiteswan]

Love him or loathe him Andy Murray has to got to go down as one of our greatest ever sportsman. 3 Grand Slams, 2 Olympic golds, the driven force behind GB winning The Davis Cup.....and becoming world no.1
18 months ago he was down and out. A hip injury that was to end his tennis career for ever. But, Andy decided to have a hip operation where the ball of the hip is re-surfaced. No body knew the outcome, certainly it was to make Andy pain free, but not to re-instate his tennis career......all the experts said "it's the end for Andy Murray".....and......"No tennis player has ever come back from this"....

Well....today, I witnessed one of the greatest tennis matches/comebacks ever. The US OPEN, has gone ahead in spite of covid. Andy said "This might be my last chance to play a Grand Slam, I'm prepared to travel"

His opponent in this first round match was a brilliant up and coming young Japanese player...who easily took the first two sets. But then, sheer determination, doggedness, talent and.....well, not sure what....Andy came through 5 sets ( his first 5 set match since Jan 2019) to progress into the next round. Really not sure how he did that but after watching the match for over 4.5 hours, for me, it was one of the best ever.....well done Andy....

[Norm]

I'm glad Swan - I've lost touch with tennis a bit but I'm as big a fan as ever really.
Andy Murray did us proud at his best and I'm glad he appears (fingers crossed until we hear of his body's reaction to a tough 5-setter tomorrow morning) to have come through to a reasonable place after his Op.

[Fridge]

Always felt this way about Andy Murray. Often overlooked when talking about the great British athletes.

I feel the same way about Lewis Hamilton. 1 championship away from equalling Schumacher’s record, and with a podium rate of 36% to Schumacher’s 22%. Whether you love or hate F1, it’s not often that we have a British athlete that fits into the ‘GOAT’ category.

[Leeds1000]

He's Scottish when he loses and British when he wins.

Great player Murray. Did it the right way by going over to a Spanish academy to train with the best youngsters at the time. He's kept the British interest going after Henman retired. Have a look round we better enjoy him whilst he's still playing cos i don't see owt else at his level coming thru for a while.

Not into Formula 1 myself. But isn't it a case of best car wins, no matter who's driving? I mean wasn't Sebastian Vettel winning everything in sight until he swapped cars and it all went to south.

[1964white]

Not a Murray fan however Britain's best tennis player has done remarkably well to comeback from such a debilitating injury by winning the US Open

[Ellandback1]

I hate to say it but Murray is the shadow of the player he used to be.

Don't get me wrong, Murray's come back last night was great, but he shouldn't have gone two sets down to a relative newbie on the ATP that has just broken into the top 50; saying that its always a bit more difficult to play against a left hander. They always tend to be more awkward.

Nishioka is quick and agile around court and has good timing especially with his double handed back hand down the line, but does not have a killer shot. He stands 5ft 5' which obviously put him at a disadvantage.

Murray is slow across court, and his return of serve, which used to be the best in the World is mediocre at best. I think I counted over 15 double faults from Murray too.

He showed plenty of heart yesterday, but unfortunately the writing is on the wall.

There's very little in

[Norm]

In any sport there can be a balance of probability about the outcome of any match or competition, but at the highest level there is no such thing as 'should have' because there are too many variables, especially after surgery.

At 33 he is entering the last years of his tenure as a 'top' tennis player but, in this victory, he has shown the best of his fighting spirit. I was watching a brief clip and he had sock and shoe off for a doctor to examine his foot and he said he ached, presumably because he is simply not in peak condition, which can only be achieved through not only rigorous physical conditioning but, more importantly, match practice. It remains to be seen how he fares after round 1.

Well done Andy Murray and best wishes for more.

[Norm]

1964white wrote:
Not a Murray fan however Britain's best tennis player has done remarkably well to comeback from such a debilitating injury by winning the US Open

Bit premature Leon but I take your point. It's his square-mouthed mother I didn't particularly like, although in fairness she was just like my mum would have been had I shown any sporting talent. She would have faced down Jonah Lomu (may he rest in peace).

[weasel]

I hate to say it but Murray is the shadow of the player he used to be.

Don't get me wrong, Murray's come back last night was great, but he shouldn't have gone two sets down to a relative newbie on the ATP that has just broken into the top 50; saying that its always a bit more difficult to play against a left hander. They always tend to be more awkward.

Nishioka is quick and agile around court and has good timing especially with his double handed back hand down the line, but does not have a killer shot. He stands 5ft 5' which obviously put him at a disadvantage.

Murray is slow across court, and his return of serve, which used to be the best in the World is mediocre at best. I think I counted over 15 double faults from Murray too.

He showed plenty of heart yesterday, but unfortunately the writing is on the wall.

There's very little in

I think it is way too harsh to judge Andy like that yet EB when he is still feeling his way back into things. The supreme athlete he was you can't just get back to that level overnight even without the injury if you were off for such a long period. I very much doubt Andy will get back to the highs he did but as long as he can stay pain and injury free then I would not be surprised to see him back around the top 10 - but it will take time as he has to get used to playing regularly and competing against the top guys again. What Andy achieved last night was unbelievable because the Japanese guy should have been far stronger physically than Andy in the 3rd, 4th and 5th set, he has age and lack of injuries on his side.

I doubt he will get too far in this tournament just for the simple fact that his body isn't yet used to the recovery time between matches at 3+ sets. Andy is just an unbelievable fighter that if anyone can overcome this injury and get back to a high level it would be him.

[Ellandback1]

In any sport there can be a balance of probability about the outcome of any match or competition, but at the highest level there is no such thing as 'should have' because there are too many variables, especially after surgery.

At 33 he is entering the last years of his tenure as a 'top' tennis player but, in this victory, he has shown the best of his fighting spirit. I was watching a brief clip and he had sock and shoe off for a doctor to examine his foot and he said he ached, presumably because he is simply not in peak condition, which can only be achieved through not only rigorous physical conditioning but, more importantly, match practice. It remains to be seen how he fares after round 1.

Well done Andy Murray and best wishes for more.

Norm, Murray stubbed his toe just before the 4th set tie break.

Nothing wrong with his fighting spirit, though if the US Open is one of the big 4 when it comes to ranking points and prize money.

There are plenty on the tour older then Murray. You only need look at Tommy Haas, age 42 , Isner 35. Dkokovich is 2 weeks younger than Murray. Murray has been fit for over a year (injury free)

[Ellandback1]

I think it is way too harsh to judge Andy like that yet EB when he is still feeling his way back into things. The supreme athlete he was you can't just get back to that level overnight even without the injury if you were off for such a long period. I very much doubt Andy will get back to the highs he did but as long as he can stay pain and injury free then I would not be surprised to see him back around the top 10 - but it will take time as he has to get used to playing regularly and competing against the top guys again. What Andy achieved last night was unbelievable because the Japanese guy should have been far stronger physically than Andy in the 3rd, 4th and 5th set, he has age and lack of injuries on his side.

I doubt he will get too far in this tournament just for the simple fact that his body isn't yet used to the recovery time between matches at 3+ sets. Andy is just an unbelievable fighter that if anyone can overcome this injury and get back to a high level it would be him.

When you look at Djokovic, Murray, Nadal and Federer; 4 of the best sportsman in the World for the last 4 years. They were pushing their bodies to the limit on a daily basis. They were that good, and were that the smallest error would be the difference between success and defeat. The level between top 10 and these four would be the difference between Messi and Bamford.

Its a gulf too far for Murray now, and he knows he is on the decline. Where injuries have taken their toll, he has had to tweak his game play to continue playing, just like Rafa had to.

[Ellandback1]

I think it is way too harsh to judge Andy like that yet EB when he is still feeling his way back into things. The supreme athlete he was you can't just get back to that level overnight even without the injury if you were off for such a long period. I very much doubt Andy will get back to the highs he did but as long as he can stay pain and injury free then I would not be surprised to see him back around the top 10 - but it will take time as he has to get used to playing regularly and competing against the top guys again. What Andy achieved last night was unbelievable because the Japanese guy should have been far stronger physically than Andy in the 3rd, 4th and 5th set, he has age and lack of injuries on his side.

I doubt he will get too far in this tournament just for the simple fact that his body isn't yet used to the recovery time between matches at 3+ sets. Andy is just an unbelievable fighter that if anyone can overcome this injury and get back to a high level it would be him.

Murray is over his injury, in so far that its a chronic condition now . (You're only going to get 50 or 60 percent better). It can be treated, but will only return to to a certain level.

Many players in their later years are playing through the pain barrier, until they can't do it anymore.

A great example of this was at the French Open in 2017 when Del Potro played Nicolas Almagro, and Almagro's body just gave up - absolutely heart breaking

[John in Louisiana]

Murray had the misfortune to come along at the same time as Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer, probably the three greatest players who ever lived.

Any other time he'd have won at least ten majors.

I've always enjoyed watching him play and wish him well with his comeback. Too much to expect that he could win, but I'll enjoy watching him for as long as he can stick around.We're coming to the end for each of these four guys (although it looks as though we may get a few years more out of both Djokovich and Nadal), so I'll watch them as often as I can.

[whiteswan]

Murray has been fit for over a year (injury free)

Not really Matt, he had a recurrence of his pelvic/hip injury after he played Davis Cup in November last year, an Injury that kept him out of the Australian Open in January. He's had to battle hard to get this far. Yes, lots of players get lots of injuries, but the main reason for my post was that no singles tennis player has ever come back from a hip operation like Murray has, let alone put in a performance like he did in a 5 setter grand slam.