When Andy Murray walked out under the glaring lights of the Rod Laver Arena for the Australian Open final, he did so with a spring in his step.
He had swept aside Croatian Marin Cilic just two days earlier in the semi final with a supreme display of power, accuracy and a few trick shots for good measure, and was just one match away from writing himself into the history books as the first British player since Fred Perry to win a major title.
All that stood in his way was Roger Federer, arguably the most talented player in the sport’s history and for whom appearances in major finals are as predictable as the searing heat that arrives just in time for the tournament.
Three sets later, Federer was claiming his 16th Grand Slam title, whilst a dejected Murray was left in tears. It was a painful loss, but nonetheless a promising start to what British tennis fans hoped would be a golden year for the world no.4.
Fast-forward four months and you would be forgiven for thinking that the defeat in Australia may have cut the world no.5 more deeply than was expected.
LACK OF FORM
Since Melbourne, Murray has shown little reason for fans to fork out their hard earned British pounds next month, when players converge on the All England Lawn Tennis club for Wimbledon.
He was dumped out of the Miami Masters in March by the 28 year-old American Mardy Fish, and then managed just over three hours of play in Monte Carlo before going out in the first round against Philip Kohlschreiber, in a match Murray claimed was the worst he had ever played.
A marginally improved display in Rome at least got the Scotsman past the first round; eventually losing to the in-form Spaniard David Ferrer in the third, yet the consistency and dogged determination that led to his six titles in 2009 was still vacant from his game.
A handful of blistering aces and delicate drop shots coupled with solid baseline work showed signs of improvement at the Foro Italico, but there was not enough substance to worry the competition at Roland Garros next week and at Wimbledon next month.
In an interview with The Times, Murray showed that he wasn’t too worried about his form and lack of tournament endurance:
“I’m not worried at all,” he said. “I’d rather have played more recently, but there were eight weeks between the tour finals last year and the Australian Open and I reached the final. I took five weeks off after Wimbledon last year and won Montreal. The year before that I took five weeks after the US Open and won Madrid and St Petersburg.
“It’s all about practising and training properly, and being in the best shape, because that’s what gives me confidence, by hitting thousands of balls. I am a good player, I know that.”
CRUNCH TIME
Murray is about to embark on the most intense eight weeks of his competitive year, beginning with the Madrid Masters this week.
It’s a tournament he knows well - having won in 2008 when it was a hard court event- and with the French Open looming just days away it’s his last chance to gain some vital tournament hours and iron out the inconsistencies that have plagued his clay-court game.
With three of the top six absent, including world number two Novak Djokovic, number five Juan Martin Del Potro and number six Nikolay Davydenko, the likelihood of a comeback is already looking promising.
Away from the clay though is where Murray’s hopes for the rest of 2010 really lie. The grass court season kicks off with Queens next month - a competition he goes into as defending champion – followed closely by the main event of every tennis fan’s calendar, Wimbledon.
Mount Murray will be packed to the rafters with hoards of expectant fans, strawberries and cream in hand, all urging the Scotsman on to victory in every point. And maybe that’s what he has been missing.
The crowd at SW19 carried “Tiger Tim” to some of the best performances of his career, helping him to slay some of the tennis world’s giants. Now Murray, a player of Wimbledon-winning potential, must embrace them with open arms and hope they can help him bury the tennis demons that have troubled him on the clay.
That’s if they are not watching the world cup, which on Murray’s current form, might be a good thing.
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