Why Murray Won’t Make it to Number One

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 28th September 2013

Why Murray Won’t Make it to Number One

epa03849857 Andy Murray of Great Britain hits a return to Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan during their match on the ninth day of the 2013 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 03 September 2013. The US Open runs through Monday 09 September, a 15-day schedule for the first time. EPA/JASON DECROW |

Former No. 1 Carlos Moya firmly believes that Andy Murray won’t make it to the top of the rankings despite the career boost of winning Wimbledon.

“What has happened to Murray after winning Wimbledon is a combination of many things,” Moya wrote on the Tennistopic.com website. “Becoming the first British champion in London 77 years after Fred Perry was a milestone.”

But the Spaniard from Mallorca who served a first tennis mentor to Rafael Nadal and who claimed the ATP top ranking for a fortnight in spring, 1999, added: “He must have felt a little empty after chasing it and having the entire nation behind him. He relaxed.”

Murray, who will miss the rest of 2013 after back surgery last week to hopefully correct the problem which forced him to skip the French Open, suffered a letdown in the matches after his All England club success, winning just a few rounds at North American Masters 1000 tournament and losing in his US Open title defence in the fourth round again Stanislas Wawrinka.

“I imagine it took him a little while to get his rhythm back, and have the same motivation as before. I’m not saying that he can’t get it back in the future because we are talking about a great player who just won his second Grand Slam tournament and is sure to win more, but right now it’s not easy,” said Moya.

Moya suggested that Murray – through coach Ivan Lendl – was focusing mainly on the grand slams to the detriment of smaller events and Masters 1000 play. “The best way to arrive at a Grand Slam is winning a Masters 1000, winning matches and acquiring the confidence those victories gave you,” said Moya. “It is essential for tennis today. Lendl is focusing too much on him only being a player at the Grand Slams.

”For me, Murray is neither Novak (Djokovic) nor Rafa. In terms of consistency, he is far away. Rafa has made 12 finals in 13 tournaments and has won 10. Djokovic has lost very few matches. Murray — not just this year — is a player who has trouble mentally enduring throughout the year.”

Topics: Atp, Carlos Moya, Rafael Nadal, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, Wimbledon