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by Pete Bodo
You just know that things are going from bad to worse for Andy Murray, who was beaten like a rented mule (6-2, 6-1) by Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany in Monte Carlo today, when you read his standout comment: "I have to make sure that I don't panic."
Among other things, the remark suggests that Murray is fully aware of just how at-sea he is these days, and that self-reminder turns up in the annals of "famous last words" too frequently for Murray fans to feel completely at ease. Nevertheless. . . for Murray it's all about the summer on grass, and the U.S. hard court season. That's where he's likely to do the most damage, and where he most needs to play well. Reaching the Australian Open final put a nice deposit in his confidence savings account, and on the whole I think he's better off having made a big statement at a major than he would have been had he flamed out Down Under and then played up to his seed/ranking at Indian Wells and Miami. I say that because one of Murray's notable shortcomings until early this year was his inability to lift his game at two-week majors.
But Murray is a work in progress, and his fine effort in Australia also exposed a few seeming flaws in his game. If you remember that final, you might agree that the DIY (do-it-yourself) quality in his game was conspicuous and to some degree disturbing. Granted, it's easy for any player to look a bit ragged when the guy across the net is 16 (aka, Roger Federer), and 16 has a sneaky way of pulling the curtain back on any player's shortcomings. The most notable aspect of the game Murray brought to the final was a lack of technical discipline. Granted, that may have been because he was nervous - an anxiety-ridden player can't help but play herky-jerky tennis, wandering around under his service toss, or allowing an elbow to flap out of position. But playing a sloppy match can also suggest a drift away from the fundamentals.
In the tournaments since the Australian Open, Murray has continued to play, with no apparent reason, as if he were still struggling with issues that can interfere with his execution. And that's a little harder to explain. One of the elements most lacking in Murray recently has been what you might call focus. We've all watched enough tennis to know when a player is "into it," and when he's looking as if he's not entirely eager, alert and keen to win. That lack of natural motivation (when you have "to try to try," as I like to say) is always problematic, even for a dedicated professional. In Murray's case, I put this down to his process of maturation. His keen disappointment after that Australian Open final was obvious; I'm not sure that proving what we already know about him (that he's a first-rate Masters Series-level performer) provided this somewhat moody player with adequate inspiration.
This is tricky territory, because it deals with macro rather than micro swings of motivation, mood, and desire. And what Murray is going through definitely suggests that he may be many things, but a consistent, walk-through-fire player he is not. That's hardly surprising; there's something introverted about Murray; a complexity of temperament suggesting that he's simply not a guy prone to whistling while he works. If he worked alongside you as a riveter in a shipyard, you'd give him wide berth on certain days, knowing that he's feeling a little sideways.
If there's any encouragement to be taken out of all this, it's that Murray seems to have chosen as good a time (if such a time exists) to get out of sorts. We all know the kind of pressure he'll be under in the UK in a few weeks time, and if you put any stock in notions like bio-rhythms (wow, talk about a concept that's lost currency!), or some psychic equivalent thereof, the idea that Murray could bottom out and begin a new, upward arc as we approach Roland Garros and Wimbledon has a certain amount of appeal. And it isn't altogether improbable, in terms of the emotions, expectations, and motivations in play.
No player wants to endure what Murray is going through these days, but there are better and worse times to purge doubts, anxieties and discontents from your system. Recent events suggest that the Australian final left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth, but that's something every player who aspires to greatness must learn to live and deal with, and it's part of the growth process for anyone who isn't a natural born killer, a la Jimmy Connors or Rafael Nadal.