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Post by jimm on Mar 30, 2008 11:43:30 GMT
Andy Murray loses to Mario Ancic in Miami By Clive White Last Updated: 2:44am BST 30/03/2008 If British fans thought Tim Henman toyed with their emotions they ain't seen nothing yet. Andy Murray would have driven them to distraction with his performance here last night, which in the first set was as bad as anything he has played probably since he first came on to the Tour. A premature departure from the Sony Ericsson Open against Mario Ancic, the man he had beaten in straight sets a little over a month ago to win the Open 13 tournament in Marseille, looked a certainty then, but the enigmatic young Scot got himself back into the match to force two match points only to end up losing 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 in two hours 29 minutes. Out of it: a below par Andy Murray loses to Croatia's Mario Ancic Probably not since Murray lost to Novak Djokovic 6-1, 6-0 here a year ago has he looked as out of it mentally as he did in the opening set last night. The young Scot's body language is apathetic at the best of times - he makes Arvind Parmar look positively hyper. Spectators on the Grandstand court must have wondered whether the poor young man had gone into the match with personal problems. But one writes off Murray, a notorious slow starter, at their peril and the player who came out to play the second set bore no relation to the one who had capitulated in the first. Few would question that the 20-year-old Murray is a real talent, but he has to start ironing out the inconsistencies in his game and giving opponents a set start before it becomes a nasty habit. He should have come into this second-round match supremely confident of repeating victory against a player who spent twice as long as he did out of the sport last year because of glandular fever and a broken shoulder. Even now, Ancic is probably some way short of the quality which took him to N o7 in the world in July 2006. But he could have been still playing with a broken shoulder and fever and beaten Murray in the first set so appalling was Britain's No 1. Murray was in trouble from the very start with two break points against his opening serve. His serve had been the key to victory in the previous meeting, but here Ancic had break points against each of his four service games. Although he survived that initial fright he was broken to love in his next service game when he played four really poor shots. Even the best players look like park players from time to time - Roger Federer has been to shank the odd one or two - but rarely do they string together as many as Murray did here. It wasn't until the final game of the opening set that Murray had a break point on the Croatian's serve, which was saved before Ancic, winding up the forehand, clinched the set in 37 minutes. It was typical of Murray that the player who then went into the changeover one set down bore no relation to one who emerged in the second set. Not that Murray's body language was any more convincing, but his play certainly was and he 4-1 up before Ancic what had happened, the Briton smiting winners from either flank. Ancic's forehand, a weapon in the first set, was now one with which to injure himself and he handed Murray two set points with two errant ones before putting another into the net to concede the second set. The impetus was now clearly with Murray. At 3-2 up and after Ancic had requested a medical timeout, he had a break point which was saved. A particularly careless double fault gave him a second bite of the apple which, thanks to an excellent service return, he clinched when Ancic hit a backhand long. In anger, Ancic belted the ball out of the stadium. But the man the British press dubbed "Super Mario" after his straight sets defeat of Federer at Wimbledon in 2002 before the man became a legend, is nothing if not a fighter, as his recovery from illness and injury suggests, and he broke straight back courtesy of two double faults from Murray. It was the Briton's turn to show his wrath, hurling his racquet across the floor. Almost inevitably the match progressed to a tiebreak, which of course was anything but straightforward. From 3-1 down Murray got his nose front to force two match points. One was saved but he threw away the second with a double fault and finally ended up losing it 9-7 when he put a forehand wide. www.telegraph.co.uk/cwhite
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Post by SuperMarion on Mar 30, 2008 15:01:05 GMT
Well done Mario. Andy has to be taken down a peg. If Andy wants to regain our support then he needs to learn to be nice to us.. send the Wimbledon crowd some nice flowers or something. I wonder if Super Mario has a gf. If not, Maybe we could arrange him a date with Super Marion
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Post by jimm on Mar 30, 2008 17:23:24 GMT
Well done Mario. Andy has to be taken down a peg. If Andy wants to regain our support then he needs to learn to be nice to us.. send the Wimbledon crowd some nice flowers or something. I wonder if Super Mario has a gf. If not, Maybe we could arrange him a date with Super Marion That would be some date. Ancic is 9 foot 3 or something
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Post by SuperMarion on Mar 30, 2008 20:26:59 GMT
True, that would be awkward. If Marion and I where barefoot, and she turned her silver platter upside down in front me, and I stepped onto the platter, we'd be the same height.
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Post by jimm on Mar 30, 2008 22:03:18 GMT
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Post by jimm on Apr 2, 2008 17:44:04 GMT
Andy Murray shruggs off rankings drop By Telegraph staff and agencies Last Updated: 5:36pm BST 31/03/2008
Andy Murray is optimistic of bouncing back from his expected fall in the world rankings due to be released next week.
The British No 1's second-round exit to Mario Ancic at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami will send him plummeting from his most recent 13th place to a position outside the top 20.
Nothing to shout about: Andy Murray remains optimistic The fall is due in large part to losing the bulk of the ranking-points haul which came with reaching the Miami semi-finals last year.
But the Scot's miserable form on clay last year, plus an agonising injury absence which forced him out of the French Open and Wimbledon, means he hardly has any points to defend from now until the US Open at the end of August and every match he wins will move him in the right direction.
Murray, 20, who lost in the fourth round of the Masters Series event at Indian Wells earlier in March, has this year won tournaments in Doha and Marseille.
And his Champions Race standing - based on his performance in 2008 rather than on the rolling 12-monthly basis on which the world rankings are compiled - was a healthy sixth before Miami, suggesting there is little to worry about.
advertisement"I said a couple of months ago that the Race was the ranking that I was going to look at this year," Murray said. "I knew my (world) ranking was going to go up and down a bit. I obviously would have liked to have done better here and at Indian Wells, but I didn't. I lost a couple of tight matches.
"I've got a long time now before I have to think about points or anything like that. Obviously, my ranking's going to drop a bit now, but I've got a long time until I've got to defend points again."
Murray did not win a match on clay last year, losing to Gilles Simon in Rome and then retiring hurt at Hamburg, against Filippo Volandri. He hopes to improve his record on the surface, and has a fortnight to get to grips with the clay before starting that key part of his season.
"Playing Valencia is my first tournament on the clay," Murray said. "I've hardly played any matches the last 18 months on clay. So I have to practice a lot, get used to the moving again. (I will) maybe go to Barcelona to train for a little bit, but maybe take a couple of days off here and there and then get back.
"Hopefully I'll be refreshed and feeling good for the clay-court stretch, because I think it's a surface that I can play well on. But I need to make sure I'm well prepared."
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Post by jimm on May 8, 2008 0:15:34 GMT
Murray slumps to defeat in Rome Andy Murray in action against Stanislas Wawrinka Murray called for a trainer during his defeat in Rome
British number one Andy Murray lost 6-2 7-6 to Stanislas Wawrinka in the second round of the Rome Masters.
With the French Open looming, the 20-year-old Scot struggled again on the clay and was broken twice in the first set but rallied in the second.
However, after Murray took a 4-2 second-set lead Wawrinka broke back to take the match to a tie break, which he won 7-5 to seal a straight-sets win.
Wawrinka will now meet Juan Carlos Ferrero, who shocked Rafael Nadal.
Murray was desperate to find some form on clay ahead of the season's second Grand Slam but Wawrinka was stronger and more measured in Rome.
The Swiss world number 24 took an early advantage, breaking Murray for a 3-1 lead in the opening set.
Murray's situation was not helped as he appeared to hurt his left leg sliding for the ball and he called for the trainer. 606: DEBATE The main problem was Murray's errors - all of which seemed to happen at important points
Ben
The Scot complained about a tightness in his legs and after receiving treatment he conceded a second break with some wild groundstrokes.
Just as he slumped in the opener, Murray immediately seized the momentum in the second, immediately breaking Wawrinka and taking a 2-0 lead.
His renewed resolve and focus saw him fend off break points in the fourth game but when Wawrinka pushed him at 4-3, the Briton lofted his drop-shot wide to surrender the break.
The Swiss almost sealed victory on Murray's next service game but the Scot fought back from 0-40 with some brilliant play to level at 5-5.
A tense set between the two off-court friends was settled by a tie-break and Murray's inability to deliver a strong first serve was telling.
The Scot failed to lay down an ace throughout the entire match and when he needed a big serve most he could not find one and was forced to try to out-play Wawrinka with his groundstrokes.
Murray saved another match point at 6-5 but hit long at the crucial moment to hand the Swiss the match; and a third-round tie with Ferrero, who vanquished second seed Nadal."
;D ;D ;D
I never thought I'd be happy to see a Brit getting beat. All the fouled mouthed drivel he utters couldnt help him there. Nor in the future. His head is bigger than his game.
Time to join the real world son.
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Post by jimm on May 9, 2008 19:19:09 GMT
Federer suffers early Rome exit Federer was not at his best against the world number 27
World number one Roger Federer bowed out of the Rome Masters as he suffered a surprise quarter-final defeat at the hands of Radek Stepanek.
Federer lost 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (9-7, his sixth defeat of an inconsistent season.
With the French Open two weeks away, the defeat is a blow to Federer's hopes of claiming the only Grand Slam title to elude him.
Earlier, Stanislas Wawrinka beat James Blake 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 to reach his first Masters semi-final.
Wawrinka followed up wins over Andy Murray and Juan Carlos Ferrero with a 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 defeat of Blake.
The Swiss number two, who made the last four in Barcelona last week, could face another American, Andy Rodthingy, in the last four if he can see off Tommy Robredo.
But the main focus of attention was on the latest defeat for Federer, who had won four of his previous five meetings with Stepanek.
After the first set had gone with serve, Stepanek took control of the tie-break with a volley to go up 6-4, then served an ace on his first set point.
Federer squandered a 4-1 lead in the second-set tie-break, and Stepanek converted his second match point with a first serve that Federer could not get back.
606: DEBATE What do you make of Federer's defeat? At one point in the first set, Federer won four straight service games without losing a point but Stepanek kept himself in the match with his fearsome serve and volley tactics.
"Usually when I have a lead I don't let it go, so it's quite disappointing," said Federer.
"I played so poorly on the big points.
"He's difficult to play. He's always changing his game up a lot. But I've played him in the past, so it wasn't a surprise. I just wish I played better."
The defeat has robbed Federer of the chance of some valuable match practice, with the French Open getting under way at Roland Garros on 25 May.
It comes just two days after the defending champion Rafael Nadal, who has the upper hand on Federer on clay, was beaten by Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic takes on clay-court specialist Nicolas Alamgro in Friday's other quarter-final.
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Post by jimm on May 15, 2008 8:09:38 GMT
May 12, 2008
Andy Murray needs to stop his fight against the world
Simon Barnes, Sports Columnist of the Year
Racing people call it “training on”. And it's precisely what's not happening to Andy Murray. Training on is the process of turning promise into achievement, turning precocity into maturity. You are no longer eye-catching, you are the one everybody was already looking at.
And in horses and people both, the process is as much about mood and nature and temperament as about physique and experience. A horse that trains on changes its view of the world, settles down, becomes more assured, is more relaxed about the training process and more effective at the business of producing his best on the track.
That's not anthropomorphism, that's training.
This is what is not going on with Murray. He turns 21 on Thursday. He should be fast approaching his peak; he seems to be returning to his foothills. Now, I know that 21 is absurdly young, as the world goes. I doubt if I began the process of training on myself until I was past 30. But then, I was not an elite athlete.
A champion has to mature young. You can train on as a human being at whatever stage of life that seems right, but you can only train on as an athlete while you still have an athlete's body. By the time I was training on, most athletes are retiring.
So the clock ticks, while Murray keeps losing to opponents ranked lower than him. He gets mind-locked into the tactic of keeping the ball in play waiting for a mistake; inappropriate in one so extravagantly talented. When that doesn't work, he plays a drop shot every time the ball comes near him, and gets furious when it doesn't work.
He has a vast retinue. He sacked Brad Gilbert as his coach, even though he was supplied by the Lawn Tennis Association at vast expense; well, what can a man who has coached Andre Agassi teach Murray about tennis? Not only is Murray rather young to produce an autobiography, his book is apparently to be called Hitting Back. Against whom? Who has ever done him wrong?
He has acquired the demeanour not of a champion in waiting, but of a gap-year kid with a grudge against the world. He is behaving like someone who has had it too easy, has too many sycophants, has been made too much of, has taken things too easy. He is behaving, in short, like the classic pampered English tennis prospect: able to enjoy the fruits of success without needing any actual success. Murray is a Scot, so that is meant to sting. Murray needs to train on, kick into phase two of his career, and now would be a good time to start.
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Post by jimm on May 21, 2008 6:48:18 GMT
Murray looks to improve behaviour Murray has been criticised for his on-court demeanour Andy Murray has admitted his on-court behaviour needs to improve after he was branded "miserable" by former British number one Tim Henman. Henman recently said Murray's behaviour needs to improve if he wants to win Wimbledon and it is a weakness the 21-year-old admits he is working on. "Sometimes I'm immature on court and that's not acceptable," said Murray. "It needs to get better. This year it's definitely been much better than the last four or five months of last year." He added: "I personally think that off the court I'm pretty happy and don't get too down about things. "But on the court I could be more bubbly, if that's what everybody thinks. "I've watched matches of myself and sometimes I think the way I act on court is great, and at other times I don't like it." Next up for Murray is the French Open at Roland Garros, which begins on Sunday. His only previous appearance at the tournament saw him knocked out in the first round, but he is seeded 11th for the second grand slam of the year. That ranking will see him avoid the likes of world number one Roger Federer and clay court king Rafael Nadal in the opening rounds and Murray is focused on making it through to at the least the second week of the tournament. "Hopefully this year I'll get through a couple of rounds. I played well over the last few weeks on clay, certainly better than I have done in previous years," Murray added. "The clay at Roland Garros is a little bit quicker than on other courts and that should help me. "Hopefully I can get through a couple of rounds. Getting through to the second week would be a great result." A disappointing start to this year saw the British number one and world number 11 knocked out of the Australian Open in the first round by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. That followed a frustrating period that saw Murray sit out last year's French Open and Wimbledon through injury and now he is focused on winning his first grand slam. I want to improve in the grand slams and get better Andy Murray He said: "I missed a couple of Grand Slams last year. The Australian Open wasn't great for me but I did lose to the eventual finalist. "In the slams I played before my wrist injury I was starting to get better. I want to improve in the grand slams and get better. "The French Open is probably not the one that I'm going to win first. "I have a better chance at Wimbledon or the US Open, but I'm still looking forward to the French Open that's for sure." hmmmm
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Post by jimm on May 24, 2008 9:51:21 GMT
British number one Andy Murray will meet French wildcard Jonathan Eysseric in the first round of the French Open, which begins on Sunday. The 21-year-old was drawn in the same quarter as defending champion Rafael Nadal, who plays a qualifier in his opening Murray, the 10th seed, lost in the first round on his only previous appearance at Roland Garros. But he will have high hopes of posting his first win against left-hander Eysseric. The Frenchman, 17, is ranked 387th in the world and has never won a top-level match. Should Murray prevail, he will then meet Dominik Hrbaty or Jose Acasuso before a possible third-round clash with 19th seed Nicolas Almagro of Spain. Good luck Jonathan Eysseric
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Post by SuperMarion on Jun 6, 2008 17:31:51 GMT
What a thrilling match this is between Molfils and Roger!
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Post by jimm on Jun 6, 2008 18:32:07 GMT
The FedExpress was very uncomfortable out there today. I dont fancy his chances against Nadal.
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Post by jimm on Jun 8, 2008 21:14:38 GMT
France's Gasquet pulls out of Beijing tennis Sun Jun 8, 2008 5:42pm BST
PARIS, June 8 (Reuters) - French number one Richard Gasquet has pulled out of the Olympic Games tennis competition, his coaching team said on Sunday.
"In agreement with his coach Guillaume Peyre, Richard Gasquet announces that he will not take part in the Olympic Games," Team Lagardere said in a statement.
Gasquet, the world number nine, withdrew from the French Open with a knee injury two weeks ago but is still scheduled to play at Wimbledon from June 23.
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Post by jimm on Jun 8, 2008 21:15:55 GMT
Beaten Federer says he's still Wimbledon favourite Sun Jun 8, 2008 6:02pm BST By Julien Pretot
PARIS (Reuters) - World number one Roger Federer said his third consecutive French Open final defeat to Rafael Nadal would not affect his hopes of a record sixth straight Wimbledon title.
The Swiss top seed was handed a 6-1 6-3 6-0 thrashing by the Spaniard, who equalled Bjorn Borg's professional era record of four successive Roland Garros victories on Sunday.
But Federer is expected to be more at ease on grass, having won the past five editions of Wimbledon, including two finals against Nadal in 2006 and 2007.
"I still definitely feel very strong about my chances and being the big favourite going into grass," said Federer, who will start his grasscourt season at the Halle tournament which begins on Monday.
"It's so far away, grass and clay, that losing in four or five (sets) or no chance like today, I don't think it has a big effect on me mentally."
Federer will beat Borg's record of five Wimbledon titles in a row if he prevails again at the All England Club next month. It would also take his grand slam victories tally to 13, one short of Pete Sampras's record.
Last year, he needed five sets to overcome Nadal in the Wimbledon final, one more than the previous year.
"Of course, defeat is difficult today. I also feel how much Rafa has progressed on clay, but we'll see in the future if he is stronger on grass or on hard surfaces," added Federer, who has not lost a match on grass since his first-round defeat at Wimbledon against Croatia's Mario Ancic in 2002.
The Swiss admitted, however, that it would take a lot of hard work to win the only grand slam missing from his collection after he became the first man to lose a hat-trick of Roland Garros finals.
"After a loss like this you don't want to play Rafa again tomorrow, that's for sure," he said.
"You hope to be here again next year, and you probably assume that Rafa is going to be here, also. It doesn't make it easier. But I still believe that with the right mindset, with the hard work I'm going to be able to put in, I can win it."
(Editing by Miles Evans)
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