Andy Murray

Born: May 15, 1987 in Glasgow (Scotland)
Height: 1.89 m
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

The best British player of the Open Era by a country mile, yet rather paradoxically, Scottish, not English (original Gaelic surname: Mac Mhuirich). When I ponder Murray’s brilliant career, I ask myself, “How many major titles could he have won if he had defeated Novak Đoković five-six times more?” They haven’t met in Murray’s last seven tormented years, with Đoković finishing 25-11 in their Head-to-Head record (they could have played in Madrid ’22 but the Scot withdrew). More importantly, Đoković has beaten Murray in all five of their meetings (2011, 12, 13, 15, 16) in Melbourne and both clashes (2015, 16) in Paris, all played in the semi-finals or finals. The Serb also won their four ATP meetings being close to lose (Shanghai is the most memorable) while Murray never did the same other way around.
The Đoković-Murray rivalry reminds me of the one between Goran Ivanišević and Pete Sampras nearly two decades earlier. Both rivalries involve players born in the same year (1971 and 1987), where one, despite having slightly more tools and coping well with tight situations, couldn’t find the medicine for his biggest nemesis. These rivalries highlight the importance of physical and mental aspects when two almost identical players face off, especially in the Đoković-Murray feud. Over the years, when they faced each other regularly, I noticed that Murray had the ability to play on equal terms with Đoković for about 2.5 hours. After that, he couldn’t maintain the same level of intensity, whereas Đoković was always prepared for punishing, geometrically complicated baseline rallies for four hours or longer.
This was especially noticeable in their three four-setters at majors: the 2013 and 2015 Australian Opens, as well as the 2014 US Open. In all those matches, they exchanged tie-breaks in the opening two sets, followed by pretty one-sided remaining sets. Murray did manage to defeat Đoković in a five-setter once though, in a crucial for his legacy 2012 US Open final, where he raised his first Grand Slam trophy after four previous final losses (Ivan Lendl – Murray’s coach at the time, the greatest player of the 80s, had also experienced the bitter taste of four Grand Slam final defeats in a row). That final followed a similar pattern to the mentioned four-setters: tight first two sets lasting over two hours, followed by Đoković dominating, but Murray had taken both opening sets, allowing him to control the rest. Although outplayed in the middle sets, he remained relatively fresh and prevailed 7-6, 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2, equalling the record for the longest US Open final co-produced by his coach (1988). I consider that victory the most important of Murray’s career. “After the third and fourth sets, it was tough mentally for me… Novak is so, so strong. He fights till the end in every single match and I don’t know how I managed to come through in the end. It was close to five hours and I’ve had some really long and tough matches. I just managed to get through,” Murray said, celebrating that success in an untypical fashion by crouching at the intersection of the baseline and doubles sideline, fulfilling his dream of winning a major title.
He reasonably waited for that moment over four years. At the end of 2008, when the Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal rivalry was well-established, Murray suggested he was closer to them than Đoković. The Serb had already won his maiden major title (Australian Open ’08), but Murray seemed a better, more complex player in the latter half of that season. Between Wimbledon ’08 and the 2009 Australian Open, he defeated Đoković twice (Cincy final i.a.), Federer thrice (Madrid semis i.a.), and Nadal once (in the US Open semifinal; I reckon Murray played his best tennis there). This positioned him as a main contender for the Australian Open title and the future world No. 1. However, in the fourth round in Melbourne, he lost to an inspired Fernando Verdasco, who just became a national hero after clinching the Davis Cup final ’08. Murray had to wait four and seven years respectively (for his first Grand Slam title and reaching the top of the rankings) for those anticipated achievements when 2009 commenced. It seemed a matter of time before Murray would reach the top spot in men’s tennis, but he was unable to win the most important major matches against the toughest opponents. Federer defeated him three times in Slam finals (2008, 2010, 2012), and Nadal bested him five times in Slam semifinals, including three times in 2011. Additionally, the Spaniard won their epic Masters ’10 semifinal. It reinforced Murray’s position in the tennis hierarchy as a member of the Big 4, yet with a distinctive aura of being the weakest link.
Unlike several players who reached No. 1 only to be quickly forgotten, Murray did it in great and striking fashion: 2016 belonged to him, however, he began the phenomenal period of his career already at the end of 2015, clinching the Davis Cup title for Great Britain… Federer stopped playing after Wimbledon ’16 (Murray won it, for the second time), and Nadal struggled with form and injuries, leaving Murray with one main rival instead of three. He managed well against Đoković that season, meeting him five times and winning twice, including the crucial season-ending final in London, which decided who would finish the year as the best player in the world – an unprecedented feat. “It’s a very special day,” Murray said during the trophy presentation. “It’s been a tough rivalry. I’ve lost many of them but obviously I’m happy I’ve got the win today. To finish the year No. 1 is very special. It’s something I never expected.” Really? His pursuit of the year-end top spot was exceptionally intense: after claiming the second Gold medal in singles as the first player in history, and an unexpected US Open defeat being the main favorite, he played the Davis Cup semifinal (losing the longest match of his career to Juan M. Del Potro), then won five consecutive events (two in Asia, three in Europe), extending his winning streak to 28 matches into January 2017 when he was stopped in the Doha final.
However, Murray paid the price for the enormous effort. He sensationally lost in the fourth round of the 2017 Australian Open to Mischa Zverev. Despite expectations that the older Zverev wouldn’t win a set, Murray’s body felt the burden of the previous crazy season, and he was a step slower, making the difference in the end. This marked the beginning of Murray’s decline. Soon after equalling the longest tie-break in history, he lost to several lower-ranked players in early rounds (Vasek Pospisil at Indian Wells, Albert Ramos at Monte Carlo – wasting the biggest advantage in a crucial set). He partially regained form mid-season, reaching the French Open semifinal (losing to Stan Wawrinka in one of the best major semifinals I’ve seen) and the Wimbledon quarterfinal where he was ousted limping in the decider. Following those five-set defeats, Murray’s career collapsed due to a serious hip injury which sidelined him for a year. For the next seven years following Wimbledon ’17, he was a shadow of his former self. There was even a period in early 2019 when it seemed Murray wouldn’t return at all after undergoing a second hip surgery. He still believed in his competitiveness and, after his comeback just to check his body with a “metal hip”, he won a doubles title along with Feliciano López!
A few months later, he captured his last title in singles (Antwerp), in the final coming back from behind in sets two and three against Wawrinka, his toughest rival, apart from the Big 3. The momentum was halted by COVID-19. On the other hand, another six-month break (his third such a long break since he turned 30) from competitive tennis could have helped him to save the energy and prolong his career since the ranking of all players was frozen. For 1.5 years after the COVID break, Murray, a Top 150 player, could count on “wild cards” actually everywhere, avoiding playing the qualifying events. It helped him return to the Top 100, but his objectives were always super ambitious. He badly wanted to be seeded at Slams again to make a big run there for the last time, and nearly did it in 2023. His tremendous mental spirit empowered him to win very long back-to-back five-setters at the Australian Open. In his next event, which took place in Doha, he advanced to the final, winning three matches on the verge of defeat (including a stunning 7-6, 2-6, 7-5 victory over Alexander Zverev)! Those two results as well as three Challenger triumphs gave him an advancement to the Top 40, but it was his swan song in terms of pushing his physical/mental reserves to the limit. Since Rome in May ’23, to the rest of his singles career thirteen months later, he was losing the majority of ‘best of three’ matches that went beyond 2.5 hours. In his last singles match at Wimbledon ’23, he suffered an almost five-hour loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas. Two Autumn defeats to Alex de Minaur, squandering match points on both occasions, made the cup of bitterness overflow. Murray realized the year 2024 should be his last on the professional tour. He inaugurated his last season winning just 1 out of 6 matches and finished it the same style in June. Being physically unable to compete at the highest level at the age of 37, Murray chose to participate in his last two tournaments in July only in doubles (Wimbledon, Olympics in Paris where he fought bravely partnering Dan Evans)… Quite bizarrely, he decided to switch racquets from Head (he was loyal to this brand throughout his career) to Yonex in the last few events.

Career record: 739 – 262 [ 289 events ]
Career titles: 46
Highest ranking: No. 1
Best GS results:
Australian Open (runner-up 2010-11, 13, 15-16; semifinal ’12; quarterfinal ’14)
Roland Garros (runner-up 2016; semifinal 2011, 14-15 & 17; quarterfinal 2009 & 12)
Wimbledon (champion 2013 & 16; runner-up 2012; semifinal 2009-11; quarterfinal 2008, 14 & 17)
US Open (champion 2012; runner-up 2008; semifinal 2011; quarterfinal 2013-14 & 16)
Two-time Olympic Gold medallist (London ’12 and Rio ’16)
Davis Cup 2015 champion
Masters 2016 champion

Year-end ranking 2003-23… 540 – 411 – 64 – 17 – 11 – 4 – 4 – 4 – 4 – 3 – 4 – 6 – 2 – 1 – 16 – 240 – 125 – 122 – 134 – 49 – 42