Andy Murray and the pain of being second-best

“There is only one real sin, and that is to persuade oneself that the second-best is anything but the second-best”? Doris Lessing

So at the end of the day, it was business as usual if you consider the results of the Australian Open with respect to the rankings (taking into account the first four ranked players). Andy Murray, yet again, finished second. This is the same man who has tasted a Grand Slam victory only once when he had six bites at the cherry. Out of the six finals, the first five were real tests of his character- Murray was answering the questions he had asked to himself. Somewhere the voice must have reverberated- “Hey Andy, can you really win a Grand Slam?” After four futile attempts, Murray got lucky the fifth time.

Murray’s heart-breaking loss to Federer at the Wimbledon final of 2012 ruined a fairy tale story. The home supporters were behind the darling of Britain all the way. The price of a ticket for the final match was exorbitant. There was a possibility of history being made; but there was an all-time great, Roger Federer, who Murray had to conquer in his pursuit to reach the pinnacle of glory in his career. The crowd was vociferous all throughout the match. Federer’s majestic play was appreciated and his errors were cheered in equal measure. But Federer’s temperament and class ensured another tear-jerking moment for the home boy. Murray wept inconsolably – the emotions probably suggesting that he had enough. But Murray had another setting to engineer a perfect script. London hosted the 2012 Olympic Games and the tennis matches for the event were to be held at Wimbledon.

The warrior in Murray arose. He channelized his anger, frustration and agony towards improving his level of play. Ivan Lendl, winner of eight Grand Slams, helped Murray in overcoming his mental block. At the Olympics, Murray’s biggest challenge was overcoming two Goliaths- Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. Murray went on to beat both of them convincingly. But still a Grand Slam title eluded him. All that changed at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on 11^th September, 2012. Murray was not the second best anymore. He was the US Open champion.

The US Open win was significant in so many ways. First of all the Brits finally got a successor to Fred Perry- who was the last Brit to win a Grand Slam. In many ways, Murray’s win was more of a relief than ecstasy. Of course, every moment of Murray win was savoured by the fans, the tennis pundits and many old British tennis aficionados who might have seen Perry play. It was a historic moment for British sport.

Now since Murray knows how to win a Grand Slam, the expectations have soared high. Federer is at the final stages of his career at the ripe age of 31. Rafael Nadal is injured and the tennis world is unsure if he would be able to produce the same quality performances, if and when he returns from injury. Djokovic and Murray are two youngsters who have age on their side, the never-say die attitude in them, the skill to win important points and, above all, the temperament to win big matches. They are the torch-bearers in this golden era of tennis.

At the Australian Open final, Djokovic showed his class after losing the first set. Murray lost momentum and then never really came back against the World No.1. But still, Djokovic did not breeze past Murray like the 2011 final. Two years back, Djokovic won the final against Murray in straight sets. In 2012, the epic semi-final saw fortunes oscillating between both the players. Djokovic triumphed then, and won yet another marathon match- a victory achieved after nearly six hours of sweat and toil. The Andy Murray of 2013 is a serious tennis player and a fierce competitor. He has shown that he is unfettered by the reputation of a player or his super skill set. In the semi final, he humbled Federer, the 17-time Grand Slam winner, after which Federer accepted that Murray’s game has improved by leaps and bounds.

Murray made Djokovic stretch, run, and sometimes humbled him with his powerful forehand in the final that was touted to be an epic-in-the-making even before the coin was tossed. But Murray lost the plot mid-way. This is a minor chink in Murray’s game. Rest assured, Murray will work on it and come back stronger. Murray has felt the pain of finishing the second best on many occasions now, and he will sweat it out to feel the ecstasy of finishing first. I certainly believe Murray’s Grand Slam trophy cabinet will have more additions to his US Open Trophy.