How did Andy Murray fail to win a single match between the Australian Open and Monte Carlo? The Scot was sensational today against Rafael Nadal, walking the fine line between patience and aggression, displaying remarkable touch and at times outdoing his opponent on defense. It’s simply mind-boggling how his game didn’t translate into any victories at Indian Wells and Miami.
But even so, another question must be asked: How do you beat Rafael Nadal on clay? The answer is both complex—the relentless Nadal forces it to be so—and simple: One must implement that winning strategy from start to finish. And as good as Murray was for large portions of today’s semifinal, he simply couldn’t keep it up through the conclusion of the match, which ended 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 to Nadal.
Though the score suggests otherwise, this was a long and brutal contest. By the time the Rolex clock read 1:00, only eight games had been played, with four going to each man. In that stretch, Nadal showed us everything we expected he would, while Murray gave us much more. He hit deep shots, pounded short balls and displayed his patented defense-becomes-offense tactics. It was early—on the scoreboard, at least—but it was obvious that this No. 1 vs. No. 3 (seed) tilt wouldn’t disappoint, even with Nadal breaking shortly after and closing out the opening set.
Murray’s patience paid off in the second set, another lengthy affair—due in large part to an eight-deuce, 19-minute fourth game, which Murray eventually secured with a well-struck forehand winner. The shot was a worthy reflection of Murray’s aggressive nature, which helped him break Nadal three times in the second set.
In a surprising takeaway, Murray was the more offensive player overall. But while that helped him take Nadal to a third set, it also contributed to his eventual defeat. I was curious to see how Nadal would respond to such a poor second set, which he lost with an edgy double-fault. The world No. 1 came out like he should: as if the last set never happened. His accuracy returned, and with that, Nadal progressively began to dictate play. Murray, in turn, went for more and remained aggressive, but couldn’t match Nadal in the critical moments. The wild card took Nadal on a wild ride, but it wasn’t enough to prevent his entry into a seventh straight Monte Carlo final.
—Ed McGrogan