Andy Murray recently took the World No. 1 title from Novak Djokovic at the ATP Masters in Paris-Bercy this week. Following Djokovic’s quarter-final ouster at the hands of Marin Cilic, Murray had been due to play Milos Raonic in the semi-finals, with Raonic withdrawing due to injury.
Although perhaps in anticlimactic fashion, Murray, who was given a walkover to the final, ascended to World No. 1.
Here is why the 29-year-old deserves that top rank:
Adapting
Murray has constantly proved himself to be among the best of the best, and unlike a number of other players who have hit high ranks only to quickly lose them, the Scot has held on to the No. 2 spot for over a year. Although he climbed up the rankings with French former No.1 Amelie Mauresmo, Murray and the Frenchwoman decided to part ways earlier this year, following which Murray reunited with Ivan Lendl.
Many have argued it was with Mauresmo that Murray made significant inroads on clay, a surface where he had not had many wins before. This year, the Scot took on Novak Djokovic in the finals of the Rome Masters, played on clay, and defeated the World No. 1 for his first Masters title on that surface.
Djokovic, before his win at Roland Garros this year, was considered one of the finest clay court players to never have won a Slam on that surface; although he has ended that drought this year, the Serb has won a number of titles on clay before, and is, by all means, a strong player on that surface.
Murray himself has constantly improved on performances, winning the Rome title against Djokovic not long after having lost the Madrid Masters title to the Serb on the same surface.
Consistency
Here, it is perhaps Murray’s incredibly strong Win-Loss record that speaks for itself. Of the 77 matches he has played so far this year, Murray has won 69. The Scot has so far won 6 titles on the Tour, and looks primed for a seventh at the Erste Bank in Vienna, Austria, where he will play French ace Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the finals; Murray has won 13 of the pair’s 15 meetings so far.
It is also to be noted that Murray has been consistent regardless of surface or opponent, and has played to his rivals’ strengths and weaknesses on a regular basis.
Focus on fitness
One of the only players to not suffer from serious injury this year, Murray’s singular focus has been on fitness and nutrition. And despite playing a consistently high level of tennis all year round, the World No. 2 has not seen it impact his body.
Perhaps key in this have been Murray’s strategic choices of tournaments to play. The ace has structured his calendar effectively, meaning that he does not play any ‘unnecessary’ tournaments.
The Scot has picked tournaments that have maximised his skill and minimized stress on his body – thereby avoiding injury. Young top-10 player Dominic Thiem, who is widely regarded as being a potential World No. 1, could perhaps have been higher had he not spent a significant time of his year on smaller ATP250 tournaments that took their physical toll on the player. Thiem, who had started out the 2016 season strongly, suffered a number of early withdrawals and losses later in the season as a result.
It is to the credit of both Murray and his team – headed by Jamie Delgado – that the player has been able to maximise his fitness and stave off injury through the entire season.
Incredible mental strength
To say that Murray’s biggest rival of late – Novak Djokovic – is not the most skilled player on the Tour today, would be wrong. It is only recently that the Serb has appeared to lose some of the mental tenacity that has characterized his game for so long, and it is in this that fans may have seen a slowing in his career.
This could be attributed to burnout, to the ‘personal issues’ that the Serb has suffered. Either way, although Djokovic’s injuries may have contributed to his losses this year, it is perhaps majorly his psychological ‘downfall’ that has caused his significant lull.
It has become known that Djokovic will be parting ways with his coach, former No. 1 Boris Becker, at the end of 2016, but it appears that mental cousenling might be more of a help to Djokovic’s career.
Murray, meanwhile, has shown no evidence of a mental breakdown. In addition to keeping his confidence consistently high, Murray has toned down the angry, ranting on-court antics he was initially known for, and improved on behaviour that former court Amelie Mauresmo also called him out on.
In the past two years, Murray married longtime partner Kim Sears, with his wife giving birth to the pair’s daughter, Sophia last year; Murray credits both events with having contributed significantly to making him a calmer person.
It is that mental strength that has helped the Scot scale even bigger heights this year.
All-court player
Many players, even those at the top of their game, have had certain surfaces they have struggled with. Many considered Novak Djokovic that player on clay, but barring the French Open, the Serb has a very strong clay-court record.
This year, Murray has had success on every surface. Barring the US Open, the Scot has reached the final of every single Grand Slam, winning on grass; he made a number of clay-court finals – including the French Open, and won titles on the surface – in Italy after making the finals in Madrid. Despite losing to Djokovic in two of those three Murray scalped a set off the Serb on both occasions and seriously troubled him at Roland Garros.
Winning his third Grand Slam – his second on Grass, Murray followed it up with a win at the Olympics and has been unequivocally strong in his gameplay whether it is on clay, hard-courts, adcourts or grass. This year, his game has appeared to show next to no particular ‘weaknesses’ – points his rivals would otherwise use to pinpoint the flaws in his game.
Should Djokovic not make the finals at Paris-Bercy this year at the BNP Paribas Masters, it will be Murray who takes the No. 1 title – and deservedly so.
Decline of opponents
