Murray Loses It
In a performance that Jon Wertheim called “weirdly timid”, Andy Murray fell to Marin Cilic in straight sets yesterday. Two days ago he looked like the class of the tournament. There is no shame in losing to Cilic, who will be a permanent fixture in the top ten in the imminent future, but it leads me to believe that there is something to the notion that Murray isn’t prepping right for grand slam tournaments. In the UK, they’re saying he peaks too early.
Murray, from what I gather (and from that score line) came out emotionally flat. That’s what learning to peak at the right time and grind through the two weeks is all about. One night you’re in Ashe stadium with everyone rocking, but the next day you’re playing the irst match up at 1:00 p.m. with most of the spectators not in their seats. In those circumstances, a player has got to find the inspiration himself. Murray also has to develop a strategy for power players.
Steve Tignor at Tennis magazine breaks down the tactical issue very well – it’s all about what Murray will do when playing an aggressive power player who is very much on his game.
I spent the match watching from a press seat that’s lined up with the baseline at the south end of the stadium. This vantage point was telling, particularly when Cilic was on my side of the court. He was obviously hitting the ball well, but he was also playing intelligently and taking advantage of exactly what Murray was giving him, without overcooking it. On many of the rallies, he would set up on top of the baseline, take a floating Murray slice, and hit a penetrating forehand to the inside-out corner. On most occasions, this was enough either to win him the point or put him in an aggressive position. But if it wasn’t, Cilic didn’t feel the need, like so many players, to keep hitting the ball harder and harder and with less and less margin on each subsequent shot—that’s a mistake which Murray has built a career on. Instead, if the Scot returned his foray with any kind of depth, Cilic would back off, slice the ball back down the middle, and start his attack over. He said afterward that he was happy that he’d “moved into the court” and “moved him around,” but that when he was “in a tough position, he’d stay in the rally.” Of course, Cilic also bashed aces and on many points he didn’t need to step back at all. He would just send the first forehand he saw blazing into the corner for a blatant winner.
All of this is a testament to Cilic’s patience and the tactical acumen he brought to this match. His longtime coach, Bob Brett, has always lauded his intelligence and willingness to do what it takes to get better and not take short cuts…
But Cilic’s ability to choose his tactics from the baseline today, to have the opportunity to press forward and then step back, is also a testament to how much time and turf Murray gives up in a rally. This season has been his most defensive, on clay, hard, and even grass courts. He’s relied on his speed, his ability to counterpunch in a varied and crafty way that can’t easily be attacked, and a return of serve that he uses as a forcing weapon. The formula has worked on most days; Murray is 53-8 in 2009. But it’s also a tactic that’s predicated on his opponents ultimately making a mistake or giving him an opening, and those aren’t as easy to come by at the Grand Slams. Everyone in the Top 15 or 20 has arranged their schedules to peak for these two weeks. Over the course of seven matches, you’re virtually guaranteed to come across at least one player who is dialed in. And Murray has: His four Slam losses this year all came to guys who were playing above their normal levels. His passive style is a giving one, for better and for worse—Murray gives his opponents a chance to self-destruct, but he also gives them a chance to find their best form.
Cilic is Real
Cilic is Not Prissy
Meanwhile, christianist, neo-conservative, secretly-gay-for-Nadal Peter Bodo let everyone know he was hot for the Highlander because his clothes were appropriately wrinkled. Only Peter Dodo would call Cilic prissy. Recall if you will Peter’s constant yammering about Federer being too fey and not manly enough to suit Peter. Here’s birdshit for brains:
No matter what you dress him in, Murray never looks fresh out of the package; his genus is jocko homo. When the other guy hits a nice winner, he still can’t resist greeting it with an audible “Yup,” rather than a snarl and murderous intentions.
Cilic, by contrast, cut a pristine, almost prissy, figure, in a smart, predominantly white shirt, and crisp and neatly pressed shorts.
The big man from Croatia seems anything but prissy to me. Bodo has some original reporting from his conversation with Bob Brett, but you can get essentially the same thing in fewer words with Christopher Clarey’s article in the New York Times. If I could pick just one guy to coach John Isner, it would be Brett, who has guided Boris Becker and Goran Ivanisevic among others. Brett was an acolyte of Harry Hopman (see Hopman Cup), the legendary Australian Davis Cup captain (16 championships during his tenure) who later trained the young McEnroe & Gerulitis. The Brett/Hopman coaching tree is known for kicking you in the ass so hard that the matches seem like nice breaks in comparison.
Passing Shots 
Posted on September 9, 2009
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