EDDIE BILLET SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON THE MURRAY / FEDERER MATCH

Written by: Staff on 14th November 2014

EDDIE BILLET SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON THE MURRAY / FEDERER MATCH

epa04488515 Britain's Andy Murray (L) following his 6-0 6-1 defeat by Switzerland's Roger Federer (R) during a round robin match at the ATP World Tour Finals mens tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London, Britain, 13 November 2014 . EPA/ANDY RAIN |

When the draw for the 2014 World Tour Finals was revealed, the face off between Murray and Federer stood out as one of the picks, if not the pick, of the group stages. Not only was their head to head record poised at 11 wins for each man, but given the last two seasons, this match was perhaps more significant than it may have initially appeared.

One subtext to the match was the issue of support; on one side, this was Murray’s home crowd – a crowd that had given him unconditional backing against Milos Raonic in his second round robin match. Federer, however, is almost universally recognised as the most popular player in the sport, and customarily has the lion’s share of the support regardless of where he plays. Additionally, this was Murray’s first match in the UK since his declaring his allegiance for Scottish independence, a factor that some speculated could turn the crowd against the home favourite.

Once the match was underway, however, the issue of support became almost irrelevant as Federer swept up the first 11 games in a row to race to an insurmountable 6-0, 5-0 lead. For two players who entered the season under somewhat similar circumstances, the juxtaposition between the two players could not have been more stark.

Switzerland’s Roger Federer returns to Britain’s Andy Murray during a round robin match at the ATP World Tour Finals mens tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London, Britain, 13 November 2014. EPA/ANDY RAIN

Britain’s Andy Murray returns to Switzerland’s Roger Federer during a round robin match at the ATP World Tour Finals mens tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London, Britain, 13 November 2014. EPA/ANDY RAIN

At the end of 2013, both players suffered with back injures: Andy chose surgery, Roger chose rehabilitation. Thus, their first meeting at this year’s Australian Open was a significant match for both players, and (with Federer’s victory), it was a match which proved to set the tone for their respective seasons. Additionally, Federer has this year embraced an attacking philosophy brought by his mentor, Edberg, adopting his coach’s penchant for rushing the net and playing more regularly throughout the season. Murray on the other hand lost perhaps the most significant driving force behind his major successes of 2013 in losing Lendl, whilst his endeavours with new coach Mauresmo are yet to bring the same success.

Federer’s crushing victory was therefore perhaps not entirely surprising. The result is a testament to Federer’s indefatigable pursuit of greatness, and his ability to adapt, but also a reflection of Murray’s current problems with inconsistency both in his camp and on the court.

EDITORS NOTE : This one was tough on Eddie as well as many staffers here @10sballs_com Both guys are very popular with us. Eddie wrote that it was weird for him because Andy is his favorite player and Roger Federer is next. He referred to it as “a crazy result ” and “weird for him ” . Andy losing the first set in 20 odd minutes and the whole match in less than an hour. It was simple. Andy is exhausted & Roger had ones of “those days”.

Topics: Andy Murray, Atp World Tour, Eddie Billet, Federer, London, tennis review

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10sBalls_com says:

November 14, 2014 at 7:57 am

EDDIE BILLET SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON THE @andy_murray / @rogerfederer MATCH http://t.co/nPUr3FgVWl #tennis #FedererMurray #ATPWorldTourFinals