Olympic Gold, US Open, Wimbledon and now the US Open Again!

[KeepItSteel]

The lad is just 25. Perhaps you know something the world at large is ignorant about? Is he about to retire?

The way I see it, Federer is soon out. That leaves Andy at, say 27, with a a few more years in the game with a clearer shot at finals. No reason at all he cannot capitalise on one of those that happen to be slams.

Whilst I can see sense in the theory that Andy may get lucky and win a slam by virtue of default once the other top players get too old/injured etc (what a thing to pin your hopes on) , I still tend to think he would choke in a slam final against a lower seed. Plus, there are, and will be more younger players on the scene able to push him further down the rankings.

At 25 he's done all his developing, all I see added to his game in the last couple seasons is more injury prone, and an even bigger self defeating chip on the shoulder.

HF, i'd be happy to wager a crisp scottish £20 note with you that he will never win a slam at any age.

My spidey sense tells me he'll be world #5 or lower within next 12-18 months, maybe sooner

 

[highlandsflyer]

Jesus.

Looking at the money he is raking in, I would love to be number 5 or less in the world!

It really is a crapshoot, but I have wasted a lot more than £20 on worse odds.

You are on.

If he has not got a slam under his belt before he is thirty I will meet your £20 with a crisper £100.

Those are good odds.

 

[Rusty Scrubber]

 

[KeepItSteel]

Good luck to him then, and to you, believe it or not I would actually be happy for him and the legion of Brits who choose to support him when he plays well.


Adversely, AM has actually been a great help to me recently in my struggle with patriotism and sense of belonging.
Shit, thats deep man.


My comment about his ranking was more to do with how I see him starting to slip in terms of quality. The fact he has been #4 for so long is more indicative to me of the average quality/consistency outside of the top 3.

If I were to drag in an awful football analogy, its a bit like the big teams in the Premier League doing so well in the Champions League, but the rest of Premier League generally sucking when they come up against quality opposition in Europe.
Murray = Spurs. Flattering to deceive.

The fact he is a multi-millionaire for essentially failing at the big time moments is a whole other topic..

 

[highlandsflyer]

If you want a football analogy, Murray has been head and shoulders winner of the Premiership for years but has yet to win the Champion's League.

Whatever way you paint it.

 

[KeepItSteel]

I see what you did there..

Although, the Prem League has been ruled by foreigners for years now.
Seems appropriate.

 

[highlandsflyer]

He is the only game in town domestically. A massively successful British athlete, world famous for all the right reasons, and a justifiable role model for our kids.

For all that, if he never picked up a racquet in anger again he would have secured a place in a very exclusive pantheon.

Meanwhile we are just talking shite on a cycling forum.

 

[KeepItSteel]

you really like him don't you. I appreciate your optimism.

however, if my son decides to pick up a racket i'll definitely be looking at recommending other role models. nationality doesn't come into it for me any more (which is very liberating).

world famous for all the right reasons

now you're just trying to wind me up, right?

 

[highlandsflyer]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/te...afael-Nadal-6-0-final-set-win-Japan-Open.html

If even that shite rag can get the story straight it shouldn't be too hard to understand what Murray is very capable of.

 

[KeepItSteel]

you have proven without doubt that he is sometimes capable of winning a tournament that the big hitters can barely be arsed to drag themselves along to.
He needs to prove to you that he is capable of winning what 99% of the population consider to be the real deal tournaments.

I make it 30 attempts so far, with a 10% success rate of achieving a final.
At best I reckon he has another 30 to 40 attempts.
So, maybe, 3 more finals?
To be fair 6 finals would be a good record for a player. I'd struggle to live with myself if I didn't win a single one though. That would be a tragedy of Jimmy White proportions, except, without the personality.

Go Murray!

p.s. I love this part of the Japan Open write up :

he annihilated Rafael Nadal in a way that is almost impossible to achieve when the Spanish maestro is properly fit.