Andy Murray- Does he have the will to play?

It was nauseating to watch Murray burn himself or saw the very branch he was perched on or score a self-goal to defeat the very team he was  part of.  Watching the reigning Queen’s Champion relegate himself to a shock third round ouster against Radek Stepanek was painful.  Murray looked sluggish, as if he were playing with ankle weights.  He couldn’t wrest the initiative from Stepanek and looked content to simply respond shot for a shot.  It was Stepanek who tried to do something different by playing backhand spin, rushing to the net and made Murray chase the yellow fluff all over the court- twice in the same game- from the net to the baseline. 

Was Murray sleep-walking through the game? Why is he so reluctant to let go of his defensive game?  A forehand for a forehand, a sliced backhand for a sliced backhand and on and on it went until Radek altered the pace and hit a drop shot, then suddenly the atoms on the court would go on overdrive and Murray would come charging to the net….in vain.  This was the scene during the two straight set defeat of Murray at the Aegon Championships.  His body language gave no indication that he was the defending champion.  Honestly he looked like he couldn’t wait to get the match over with. 

Andy looked tired- mentally exhausted.  Unlike the sharp looked he debuted yesterday to much appreciation- a clean shaven, closely cropped look, his mental frame seemed to sag. 

Maybe it is about peaking at the right time, some would say Nadal too was ousted in the second round at Halle yesterday.  But When Nadal loses it is not due to a lack of will, it is simply because his game fell short or maybe due to a physical discomfort- perhaps an injury or aching muscles.  Murray shots were mediocre but I know with a certainty that Murray does not lose due to his game, his game always matches that state of the mind that he is in.  Case in point being Wimbledon last year (it will always be a benchmark to measure Murray’s prevailing game until he gives us something better to compare). 

I won’t talk about fitness or athleticism because that is a give and all things being equal it is the mental fortitude or lack of thereof in the closing stages of the game that decides the winner.  So When will Murray be ready?  Has he come all this way to go back to square 1? 

Mauresmo has to a lot to work on here. To work on the game is the easiest.  It comes with hard work and hitting balls upon balls endlessly until you get it right.  Working on someone’s mind is the toughest- it is like groping in the dark to feel that you have caught a big fish only to be saddled with a dirty shoe when you finish reeling up.