Andy Murray

Andy Murray Wimbledon Interview - 2nd Round A. MURRAY bt X. Malisse 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 Q. Xavier came in saying how impressed he was with your serve. Do you feel it's really evolving as a real weapon on grass? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, not just on grass. Yeah, I mean, for me, my serve, especially my first serve, is one of the best parts of my game, you know, winning over 80% of the points when it's going

Andy Murray eases Wimbledon fears with exhibition win By Jim van Wijk Andy Murray returned to action in the Boodles Challenge at Stoke Park yesterday after pulling out of the Artois Championship last week with a thumb injury and said he "felt good" in beating the Serbian Jarko Tipsarevic 6-3, 5-7, 12-10. Following a period of rest, Murray was pleased to be able to get back on the grass

Andy Murray pulls out of Queen’s with sore thumb Briton Andy Murray withdrew from the Queen’s Club ATP tournament on Friday shortly before he was due on court to face Andy Roddick in the quarter-finals. The 21-year-old injured his thumb during his third round victory over Ernests Gulbis on Thursday and said at the time he would check with doctors before deciding whether to face defending

Andy Murray Aims For Wimbledon Title A right wrist injury prevented Andy Murray from playing Wimbledon last year and though he's never surpassed the fourth round in his 10 career Grand Slam appearances, the 11th-ranked Scot believes he can win Wimbledon in his return trip to the grass-court Grand Slam. "My goal is to try and win the tournament. But I guess I've never made the quarterfinals

Andy Murray expects Roger Federer to bounce back at Wimbledon Andy Murray insists Roger Federer's French Open thrashing against Rafael Nadal won't affect his bid for a sixth Wimbledon title. Federer was swept aside in three sets by Nadal in Paris and will defend his All-England Club title with serious questions being asked about his form for the first time in his career. The Swiss has been

Andy Murray Handed Victory After Grosjean Injury Andy Murray’s first match on grass for almost two years was short-lived after Sebastien Grosjean retired after just two games due to a left thigh injury. Murray, seeded No. 6 at The Artois Championships, was leading 2-0 when the two-time runner-up Grosjean called an early end to proceedings at The Queen’s Club. “I would have rather to hav

Andy Murray into The Artois Championships Third round after playing 2 games Andy Murray needed just two games to reach the third round of the Artois Championships when opponent Sebastien Grosjean retired with a thigh injury. The Frenchman, a two-time finalist at Queen's saved two break points in the opening game before double-faulting on the third to give Murray the lead. But play was then

Andy Murray aims volleys at LTA over unreal goals Neil Harman, Tennis correspondent The day after Roger Draper, the chief executive of the LTA, said that British tennis is for sale “lock, stock and barrel”, the man in whom he has invested more than most federations see in a lifetime delivered a withering assessment of its value to potential investors. In his autobiography, Hitting Back,

Holding court: Andy Murray interview The horror of the Dunblane killings... Andy Murray was a pupil at the Perthshire primary school where Thomas Hamilton shot and killed 16 children and a teacher in 1996. He usually lists his hometown as Stirling when entering tournaments to hide the connection. Q: You were just 10 at the time? A: I was so young, I don't have any real recollection of the day.

Andy Murray has Tim in mind as he aims for green grass of home Jon Henderson - The Observer. Andy Murray starts practising on grass today for what he says will be his first serious challenge for a grand-slam title when Wimbledon starts in just over three weeks. Here at the French Open, he left behind proof that he has a game of impressive variety, though one that is far more suited to the

Grande jogo em perspectiva no dia 6 de Roland Garros. Frente-a-frente um jogador que se sente como peixe na água na terra batida ( Nicolas Almagro ), e um dos maiores talentos do circuito ATP ( Andy Murray ). Nicolas Almagro (número 20 do ranking ATP ) é dado como favorito por todas as casas de [...]

Ontem o suiço este muito bem contra Safin, apesar de todos sabermos que o Russo já deu o que tinha que dar a esta modalidade. Após perder o 1º set, o Suiço dominou por completo o jogo, o 2º e 3º set foram vencidos com enorme facilidade, o que demonstra o bom momento que este jogador [...]

Andy Murray - Football World Cup 2010 Qualifying Group DrawWelcome, Guest. Want to take part in these discussions? If you have an account, sign in now . If you don’t have an account, apply for one now . Source: andymurray.com Scottish Premier League FIFA World Cup 2010 Qualifying Matches have now been loaded - [...]

Roger Federer has been shocked out of the Dubai Championships by Scotsman Andy Murray. Murray took the first round match 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-4, solidifying Federer's current losing streak. World number one Federer has been struggling for wins recently.Of his loss to Murray, he said: "Obviously, I haven't played much so you don't go in with any expectations, actually. You hope to get past the first round, no matter if it's a guy with no ranking or a guy ranked basically in the top 10."Murray said of beating the Swiss star: "He's the best player in the world, there's no question. The most important thing is to believe that you can win the match." Source: Yahoo

Andy Murray, the British no.1 men’s tennis player won the Open 13 title in Marseille yesterday.  Murray played a solid game, beating Croatia’s Mario Ancic 6-3 6-4. This latest victory gave him his fifth ATP Tour title and will most probably send him back into the top 10 world ranking. Murray said this victory justified his recent [...]

We here at www.talentedyoungpeople.com are proud to announce that Andy Murray has won the September Talented Young Person of the year award. The British Tennis sensation has become the second winner of the award joining Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe in the Talented Young People Alumni...

You can't write Murray and Cincinnati in the same sentence without thinking of THAT match.But it's a year later and while Murray is finally back in action after his injury lay-off, it's not quite the Murray we remember.The doctors say that the injury has healed so if Murray is holding off on his forehand, is it because of pain or is the problem purely psychological now?Some of the current media are already talking about Murray's mental game being damaged, but I think it's too soon for that kind of talk. Murray has shown great patience in not returning to action too quickly and, now that he is ready to play some matches, there's no reason why he shouldn't ease back in slowly.I don't think it's too much of a stretch of the imagination to think that, right now, Murray's sights are firmly set on the US Open. Murray's ranking have dropped to 16th (only three better than a year ago), but he knows that a strong showing at Flushing Meadows in a couple of weeks time can catapult hi

As we've seen lately, Murray rarely loses to a lower ranked players so, either Fognini is a rising star, or Murray was struggling with fitness when he lost 2-6 2-6.According to media reports, it's probably a bit of both.Fognini - by all accounts - played well and is only nine days younger than Murray. After the match Murray said that his wrist was ok, but that his body was stiff and sore.This is hardly unexpected after such a long absence and it appears that Murray may still be holding back on some of his forehand shots. The stats show Murray's first serve percentage only just below 60%, but Fognini converted an impressive 5 break points from 8 opportunities.By comparison, Murray won just 1 from 6.It's a disappointing way to go out of the come-back tournament, but better now than at the US Open. Competitive matches are a world apart from training and Murray will want a few more before the US Open begins.Murray is currently undecided on whether to move on to the Cincinnati tourna

Running behind (again), so let's get up to date as quickly as possible.Murray defeated Ginepri in straight sets 6-4 6-4 in just under and hour and a half which - for a comeback match - is very satisfying.The first serve percentage was over 60%, with six aces in there. Ginepri managed to break Murray once in each set, but was also broken twice in each set, making for a tidy scoreline.I only managed to catch brief highlights which showed some nice-looking shots from Murray. It looks like the genius is still present, but Murray admitted afterwards that he is still holding back - no doubt still a little nervous about an injury reocurrence.Source:BBC SPORT | Tennis | Murray eases to win on comeback

UPDATE: I don't know where I got Friday from :-SMurray and Ginepri are due on court TODAY after the match between Haas and Calleri. Start time for the day is 4pm (UK time), so barring any withdrawal for injury (I mean for Haas or Calleri you cynic!), we could be looking at a start time of 5:30pm onwards.Sky Sports Extra have it, otherwise the ever dependable Live Score is available at:http://www.rogerscupmen.com/1/en/home/Will Murray play?There's precious little talk about injury, which would usually be a bad sign. But I'm in a positive mood, so perhaps the injury that has kept Murray out of action for the last 12 weeks has, at last, fully healed.The top 8 seeds in the Montreal Masters get a BYE to the 2nd round. Murray is seeded 13th so will have to slug it out from the 1st round (on Friday or Saturday Tuesday).Robby Ginepri (58) is the opening opponent, the player that Murray has beaten twice before (Cincinnatti Masters 2006 and Thailand Open 2005) .Not the easiest come-back mat

Just over five weeks ago, on June 24th, we were eagerly awaiting Andy Murray's first round match against Nicolas Lapentti at Wimbledon 2007.With only 24 hours to go, Murray pulled out of the tournament to allow additional rehabilitation time for this wrist injury. He set his sights for a US tournament a couple of weeks later which, of course, never transpired.Now, just two days before the start of the Legg Mason Classic 2007, the tournament in which he finished runner-up in 2006, Murray has again withdrawn to allow further rehabilitation time.I had high hopes that this week would see the comeback match, especially after having stated on the official website, 11 days ago, that the doctors had given Murray the all-clear to "step things up".If the doctors are happy that the injury has healed, this suggests to me that Murray still isn't 100% free of pain, perhaps mainly during recovery.Murray is right to be cautious, but this means that all predictions are now off. Any statement to the e

But man, it feels a lot longer than that.Since that fateful day in Hamburg, Murray has dropped to 14th in the world rankings and missed two Grand Slams in succession.Before Wimbledon, Murray was aiming to play in Los Angeles, but has since pulled out to allow more recovery time.I can't find any official word, but the Legg Mason Classic in Washington, USA, looks like a possibility for Murray's comeback match. In 2006, Murray reached the final in Washington, before losing to Arnaud Clement.This means ranking points to defend. But it also means it's a tournament that Murray should feel comfortable and confident in.Whenever Murray returns there will be a lot of fans waiting with bated breath to see if Murray comes out rusty or rested and raring to go.I'm thinking it'll be the latter.

Yesterday afternoon, Andy Murray released a statement to the effect that he was not 100% fit and so would not be taking part in the Wimbledon event that begins today.On June 4th, I predicted that Murray would be watching rather than playing and, although the last few days had given everyone hope, that opinion proved to be the correct one.Disappointing to say the least, but worse for Murray who had a real chance of reaching the Qtr-Finals or even the Semi-Finals in a Grand Slam for the first time. After Murray's previous record of trying to play injured, I really had started to think that, having got this close to the opening day, he would at least give it a try.But, pleasingly, it looks like Murray has learned from previous experience and is unwillingly to risk further injury to his wrist; such a crucial part of the body for a tennis player.In his statement, Murray said,"The doctor has advised me not to play and that I probably need about ten days to be ready. Unfortunately, I don’

The draw is out and the unlucky sap who drew Federer in the first round is Teimuraz Gabashvili from Russia.More importantly, Andy Murray has drawn Nicolas Lapentti (63) whose ranking has been on the decline since 2000 and has only won four matches so far this season compared to Murray's 24.So, on paper, this is an easy opening round - assuming of course that Murray elects to play.As for the rest of the draw...Second Round:Benneteau (57): Murray defeated Benneteau at the same stage last year.orTsonga (113)Third Round:Tim Henman (78) is a possibility, but Carlos Moya (22) is more likely.Fourth Round:Richard Gasquet (12) is the highest seed in this section and would be a tough encounter.Qtr-Final:Unless something bizarre happens, Andy Roddick (3) will be the opponent. This would be further than Murray has ever gone in a Grand Slam so the pressure would be on. The memory of last years straight sets victory would give him comfort.Semi-Final:Roger Federer (1). I want to see this match sooo

With just five days before day one of Wimbledon, it's still unclear whether or not Andy Murray will play.Murray has already said that he will make a decision on the morning of his first match which could come on Monday, or later in the week depending on the draw and the weather.A performance at the Boodles exhibition tournament would have been encouraging, but it's yet to happen aside from a friendly game with a young competition winner.Murray is seeded 8th for Wimbledon, his highest ever for a grand slam, so I'm keenly anticipating a favourable draw. As you may recall, the last few master series events has seem some very tough line-ups for Murray, but with the larger field of Wimbledon and seeding that places him to the Qtr-Finals I'd expect, at the very least, a couple of relatively easy rounds.If Murray is fit to play, it will be important not to have the added pressure of facing a top 20 player before he's had a chance to regain some match fitness.The draw will be made tomorr

As predicted last week, Andy Murray has moved up again to a career-high of 8 - his target position for the end of the 2007 tennis season. Maintaining that position until the Shanghai Masters comes round will be tough, but definitely achievable.The change in ranking occurred because James Blake didn't enter the Stella Artois (Queens) tournament and so failed to defend the points he picked up by reaching the final back in 2006.This places Murray 10 points above James Blake - enough to secure 8th place. Andy Murray is now just 115 points behind Tommy Robredo who lies in seventh position.It may seem strange to some that Murray can move up the rankings without playing, but it's worth noting that the ranking position is a snapshot of the last 12 months - a long time in tennis. For that reason, the rankings usually take a while to catch up with the current form of the players.Murray didn't move up the rankings because he was injured. He moved up the rankings because of a strong showing at

In an interview with the BBC, Brad Gilbert gave the strongest indication yet that Murray will be fit in time for Wimbledon.Gilbert said, "Hopefully he's going to be playing Boodles next week and Wimbledon's around the corner."Boodles is an exhibition event and would be a good opportunity to test his fitness without the pressure of a competitive tournament.I find these comments particularly encouraging because Gilbert wrote off Murray's clay season when Murray himself was still hopeful of a quicker recovery. I think these comments would be very unlikely if Gilbert wasn't very confident that Murray was going to play at Boodles next week.So all eyes will be on this exhibition. If Murray plays without any problems, then Wimbledon should be a cert.Source:BBC SPORT | Tennis | Gilbert hopeful on Murray injury

With the French Open completed and Nadal narrowing the gap between himself and Federer (still over 2000 points between them), it would have been easy to miss the bizarre fact that Andy Murray has just moved up to 9th in the ATP World Rankings - his highest world ranking to date.Bizarre, because Andy Murray hasn't played a competitive match for weeks.Here's how it happened...Andy Murray was slightly fortunate that his injury occurred during a period when - 12 months ago - he picked up very few victories. As a consequence, although he hasn't been able to pick up any additional ranking points, he also hasn't lost very many. He lost enough to move him from 10th place to 11th place, but that's all so far.Then we come to...Ivan Ljubicic got to the third round of the French Open this year - the trouble is, last year he got to the semi-finals. The result? Ljubicic loses a massive 375 ranking points; enough for him to drop five places in the world rankings, taking him out of the top ten an

There's no official word yet but, I've snagged a few clues, so here goes...I posted my 'Open Letter' to AndyMurrayNews.com and, although an official response was not forthcoming, there were some eye-opening comments by some of the forum regulars.The main point made was that because Andy Murray is contracted to the major tournaments, there are very specific rules that must be followed when withdrawing.That makes sense so I set out to try and find if there was in fact an official rule about this. The ATP official website provided me with a copy of the rule book - all 248 pages of it.There are lots of rules regarding withdrawal of events, but these are all concerned with withdrawals being made 14 days BEFORE the event begins.It wasn't until I got to the section on "Player Major Offenses" that I found anything that could restrict player comments on injuries.Rule 7.04 - part 2, states:"it is an obligation for ATP players, their coaches and family members to refrain from engaging in con

Andy Murray gave fans a glimmer of hope earlier in the week but, as expected, confirmed yesterday that he would not be able to compete at Roland Garros.This is the biggest blow in Murray's recent injury story as even a modest showing at the French Open would have cemented his place in the top ten.As it is, Murray has slipped to 11 and his best chance of returning won't come until Queens on 11th June. Wimbledon (25 June) may be the priority, but Murray will be keen to get some match practice before the tournament begins. It would be a mistake to push for Queens at the expense of risking his health, but he also won't want to begin his third Wimbledon feeling rusty.In 2006, Wimbledon marked the beginning of a series of impressive results so, unlike the majority of the last four months, Murray will have points to defend. He may only be a few points outside the top ten, but adding to his ranking score will only get harder as the year progresses.But a tennis career is a marathon and no

The good news, is that it's not a fracture. The official word seems to be that Andy Murray suffered tendon damage during his match with Volandri at the Hamburg Masters Series on Tuesday.It will probably require a pot while it heals which means, unfortunately, that it will be while before Murray can even return to the practice court.There is virtually no chance that Murray will recover before the French Open (27 May), so the real race will be ensure a return to fitness before Wimbledon (25 June).With only just over a month to go, it's going to be an anxious wait for Murray and his fans. The decision to play at Wimbledon probably won't be made until nearer the time and, as much as Murray will be desperate to play - especially with some serious ranking points to defend - the risk of long term damage to the wrist will have to be foremost in his mind.As things stand I could cope with Andy missing the French Open and Wimbledon if it means securing long-term fitness. In terms of progres

Andy Murray was 5-1 up and just cruising against Volandri until a wrist injury forced him to retire.BBC Sport reports that Murray appeared to have injured his wrist after one shot and then after the next crumpled over in pain. The trainer strapped it, but after the next two points Murray could no longer continue.This is desperately disappointing for Murray and his fans, especially considering that Murray had clearly regained his form quickly. The 1st serve percentage was just under 70% and he'd won three of his five break points.This result will almost certainly see Murray slip out of the top ten, but the main concern now will be whether he can recover in time for the French Open. A back injury is one thing, a wrist injury is something else entirely. There'll be an anxious wait to find out the extent of injury.We'll all be hoping for good news, but please, please, please - and this is a message for the PR people and the team at AndyMurray.com - don't leave us in the dark for as lon

There's no risk of complacency for Andy Murray as he goes straight up against Volandri (34) in the first round - the player who reached the Semi-Final in Rome last week. Murray will know he has to start strongly if he is going to get 2007 back on track.There's no sign of Murray or Volandri in today's schedule so it should be a Tuesday start for this match.As with last week, the Hamburg Masters is a 56 player tournament with the top eight seeds getting a BYE to the 2nd round. Murray is seeded ninth so, again, just misses out on the BYE.The draw is tough, but not unusually so for a Masters. Jose Acususo (32) could be the 2nd round opponent with Robredo (7) in the 3rd round. Hewitt (22) Canas (20) and Davydenko (back up to 3 again) are potential Qtr-Final opponents, with Nadal (2) and Federer (1), Semi-final and Final match ups respectively.So far, the extended absence through injury hasn't affected Murrays ranking. He has virtually no points to lose from this period last year an

The match was interrupted twice due to rain and both times it changed the tone of the match.After losing the first set in 24 minutes, Murray was likely pleased with a short rain break. He came back strongly in the second set to win it 6-1.Then came a three hour rain delay and Murray was broken twice as Simon went into a 4-0 lead. Murray broke back once, but couldn't prevent Simon from serving out the match. The final score 1-6 6-1 3-6.Murray blamed a lack of match practice and after six weeks out with injury it's hard to argue against that. It's disappointing but the main thing, as previously stated, is that Murray played two hours without any reported injury problems.Source:BBC SPORT | Tennis | Murray loses clay opener in Rome

This is a 56 player Masters Series which means the top 8 seeds get a BYE to the 2nd round. Andy Murray is seeded 10th so just misses out.The good news is that Murray will be out on court this afternoon and will, no doubt, be keen to get his clay court season up and running.Before we look at the draw, a quick scan of the rankings list shows Murray 30 points behind James Blake in 9th place and 100 points behind Ivan Ljubicic in 8th. Murray has just five points to defend so a modest run in this tournament would still offer a healthy bump in points. Blake and Ljubicic, however, also only have 5 points to defend so it'll be worth keeping a close eye on their progress.UK is 1 hour behind Rome, so play starts at midday with Murray and Gilles Simon (58) due out third. Some time after 3pm would be my guess. This match will be on Sky Sports Extra - otherwise you can find Live Score at http://www.internazionalibnlditalia.it/1/default.asp?LNG=ENSimon made a good start early in the year by wi

Andy Murray experienced some back twinges whilst training and concluded that the injury sustained during the doubles match in Monte Carlo needed more time to recover.The Masters events in Rome (next week) and Hamburg (week after) are the next target. Murray only has 40 points in total to defend at these two tournaments, but losing those points could see Murray drop down a place or two in the rankings.It's insignificant as one or two half decent performances would push Murray straight back into the top ten, but it could sway his decision to play sooner rather than later.As much as I'm keen to see Murray back on court and as much as Rome and Hamburg are significant opportunities to gain ranking points, Wimbledon is more important. And it's less than two months away.In other news, the GB Davis Cup team will play Croatia at Wimbledon in September. The grass will favour Murray and especially Henman as they look to defeat the likes of Ljubicic (8) and Ancic (14).Sources:BBC SPORT | Ten

UPDATE: Jamie Murray and Eric Butorac are guest bloggers on the ATP website at the moment and Jamie was kind enough to share some news on Andy Murray."he injured some facet joints and should be good to go for Estoril."The Estoril Open is the first week in May so it sounds like the back injury isn't too serious. Good news all round.It's not a great surprise to see Murray withdrawing from Barcelona, but there's been no word yet, unofficial or otherwise, as to how long the back injury will need to be rested.It's frustrating on the one hand, as this is the longest spell without seeing Murray play since the close season. The up side is that we can be fairly confident now that Murray won't return until he's fully fit.Withdrawing from Monte Carlo did no affect Murray's number ten position. Berdych moved up two places to 12th, but is still 215 points behind Murray. Haas stays 20 points behind Murray and - along with Berdych - doesn't appear to playing in Barcelona or Casablanca.Murra

UPDATE : Much to the relief of his fans Andy Murray has officially pulled out of the Monte Carlo Masters and will now have the time to full recover from a very busy schedule.I'm not sure how this will affect his ranking, but I would guess that he will lose the 5 points he gained last year by being knocked out in the first round. This won't change his position of 10, but he could be overtaken by players below him if they perform well this week.Nalbandian and Berdych would probably have to win the tournament to overtake Murray, so I'll keep an eye on the results in Monte Carlo. Marc Gicquel (46) won his match 7-5 5-7 7-5 and earned the right to play Murray in the 2nd round.The bad news is that the match may not happen. Andy Murray pulled out of his doubles match yesterday with a back injury and, last night, BBC Radio Five Live indicated that the groin problem may still not have fully recovered.Murray and Gicquel are fourth in the order of play on the Central Court so there's plenty

A place in the top ten is beckoning for Andy Murray and, theoretically, it could happen as early as Monday.Tommy Haas (10) is just 10 ranking points above Andy Murray (11) and, this week, Haas is defending 75 points in Houston.If Haas fails to reach the semi-finals, his ranking points will drop below Murray's and they will swap places in the rankings.Not quite the drama we'd hoped for, but let's make the best of it. Murray's next tournament isn't until next week so for the next few days we'll be following Haas and, cruel as it may sound, we'll be hoping for an early exit.Haas is the third seed and after Benjamin Beckers exit, he can't meet another seeded player until the semi-final.What this means is that Haas needs to lose either his 1st round, 2nd round or Qtr-Final match to assure Murray breaks into the top ten.In the first round (probably today), Haas will play Sam Querrey (67). Haas has beaten Querrey in straight sets twice already this year, so don't hold your breath f

This tournament starts on Sunday 15th April 2007, but the first round match probably won't begin until Tuesday 17th April 2007.This is a Master event so there are a lot of points up for grabs, but there is one less round than the last two Masters events. This makes for a less gruelling tournament, but means that big name players are just a round or two away.Nadal is the holder and, last year, Murray was narrowly defeated 6-4 6-7 5-7 by Jean-Rene Lisnard in the first round after suffering leg cramps in the third set.Cramps? Do you remember those? Every time Murray rubbed his leg, Murray fans around the world got palpitations.Murray may already be in the top ten before the tournament ends, but a good showing here should cement his position. It's a few days till the draw, so I'll update as soon as I get it.

Murray wins 6-3 7-5 6-2I hadn't realised how unsettling the Djokovic/Murray match had been until I felt the relief at watching Murray back to somewhere near his best.Murray has just taken the first set 6-3 by serving aces, chasing down drop-shots, producing cleverly disguised drop-shots of his own, volleying well at the net and finding some awesome back-hand winners down the line.Murray broke early and raced to a 3-0 lead. Sluiter found a break point at 3-1, but couldn't convert it and Murray served out comfortably.Great start.Some better play from Sluiter in the second set earned him some break points, but Murray was cool under pressure and held his serve. In the 11th game, Murray made the break and then served it out to take the second set 7-5.Credit to Sluiter for contributing to an entertaining match, but when the break came early in the third set, the end result was clear. Sluiter carved out some more break points, but couldn't convert and Murray broke again to take the final

Djokvic cruises through 6-1 6-0 before going on to win the final against Canas.While watching this match I found myself reaching the conclusion that this was the worst performance I had ever seen from Andy Murray. At the time, such thoughts seemed harsh, but Murray himself in his post-mtach interview said "It was the worst match that I’ve probably played since I’ve been on the tour".The closest comparison I could make was the Baghdatis match at Wimbledon. It was such a strange performance that, at times, you could be forgiven for thinking that this was an imposter on court. Usually, even when Murray is below par, he occasionally shows the flashes of genius that remind you that there is a great player inside, struggling to get out. That Friday night, there was nothing of note.At Indian Wells, even injured and exhausted, Murray managed a better scoreline in defeat.I don't say any of this to criticise, but merely to try and communicate how strange this match appeared.But the biggest

UPDATE: Just got back but only have a couple of mins. Murray vs Djokovic is due at 8pm (UK Time). You can watch it live on Sky Sports Extra.Finally got access to the internet so I can do a really quick update. Well, not really an update since I'm sure you already know the results. And because I've been on the road I've had to make do with brief radio updates so you probably know more about what's been going on than I do.Anyway, for what it's worth, here are my thoughts on the last few days.Murray vs KendrickI saw a replay of this match and it looked pleasingly simple. The occasional flashes of genuis from Murray, but this was a match on cruise control.Murray vs MathieuI got a radio update that said Murray was a set and a break down which sounded ominous. When I finally got the result hours later, I was stunned. Not that Murray had been able to turn it around, but the fact that he had to save match points in the process. Another testament to Murray's new found ability to turn m

Lleyton Hewitt had to pull out with injury, so Robert Kendrick (87) comes through as a lucky loser. Kendrick made the most of it as well, winning his opening match against Raemon Sluiter (147) in straight sets (6-4 6-4).Murray and Kendrick have met twice. The first was in Newport when Murray double-bagelled Kendrick and the second was in the US Open when Murray dipped in the second set, but still won comfortably 6-2 1-6 6-3 6-3.This match should be on some time tomorrow, but I'm going on holiday at lunchtime so I won't be able to update. I'll catch up as soon I get a chance to go on-line.

Andy Murray wins 6-2 7-6 (7-4).1 hour and 34 minutes is a good indication that this wasn't a cake-walk, although it doesn't appear that Murray ever looked in danger of losing control of the match.AndyMurray.com and the BBC are reporting that Murray broke Goldstein three times in the first set. But Livescore is saying Murray only broke Goldstein twice in the first set without losing his own serve.Actually, if my maths is correct, and Murray broke three times and held his own serve, then the score would have been 6-0 or 6-1. So breaking Goldstein twice in the first seems more likely.Either way, Murray clearly dominated despite serve stats being on the lean side.In the second set there were three breaks each and, although Murray had a chance to serve it out at 5-4 up, Goldstein forced a tie-break that Murray won.Afterwards Murray talked about a lack of match practice and some fatigue, but this was still a comfortable victory.Sources:BBC SPORT | Tennis | Murray reaches Miami third roun

Murray is seeded 12th for this tournament so, as with Indian Wells, he gets a BYE to the second round where he will play either Paul Goldstein (97) or Ryan Sweeting (301).Goldstein is obviously the most likely opponent and has yet to play Murray at senior level. Goldstein has been as high as 58 in the rankings after a good spell in the summer of 2006, but has been in decline ever since.Looking at the rest of the draw, while there are no easy sections, it's hard not to draw the conclusion that Murray has again received a tough draw.Hewitt (19) is the likely opponent in the 3rd round with the possibility of Gonzalez (5) in the 4th round. If Murray survives those encounters and isn't completely exhausted, he can look forward to possible meetings with Roddick (3) in the Qtr-Final and Nadal (2) in the Semi-Final.Of course, these are all likely encounters. In Indian Wells there were plenty of upsets so the draw could look very different by this time next week.The qualifiers are still go

Murray loses 2-6 3-6.The result isn't a shock as Djokovic is clearly a rising star with a strong all-round game, not to mention the fact that he has about two years more experience than Murray at the top level. What is a shock is the speed with which Murray was dispatched.Of course, the score doesn't tell the full story.The reality is that Murray probably should have pulled out before the match began. The injuries he sustained in the previous match may not have felt too severe but, once the match began, it soon became clear that Murray was not in a position to give his all.The trainer came on and reassured Murray that he was unlikely to do any lasting damage by continuing to play so Murray, to his credit, decided to see the match out.As usual, there were flashes of brilliance from Murray, the highlight was when he recovered from a brilliant Djokovic lob to play a cross-court winner from the back of the court, almost with his back to the net.Some cynics might have passed it off as a

I've been in bed most of the weekend and conspired to miss the Davydenko and Haas matches. I did manage to catch the Djokovic match though so it wasn't a complete disaster... hmm.Anyway, I'm sure you know the details by know but for posterity, here's the round-up.Haas (after Federer) is the in form player of 2007 and after Murray injured his right foot in the first set and then injured everything else in the second, things looked grim.Murray fell awkwardly hurting his ankle, his hip and obtaining a nasty-looking scrape on his knee. It couldn't have come at a worse moment. After losing the first set 6-3, Murray was a break up in the second and looking to get back in the match.After the trainer had earned his wage, the match continued and Murray held on to his serve to take the second set 6-3 and level the match.The third set saw an exchange of breaks, but had to be decided on a tie-breaker. Shades of Roddick in San Jose here as the tie-break just kept going. Haas had match poi

The first meeting for these two and both are on top form. Both have only lost three matches so far this year, but Haas has won a couple more thanks to his semi-final run in the Australian Open and only Federer has earned more ranking points.On paper, this could be as hard a match as Murray has played all year, but the 'X factor' is that they have yet to play a competitive match against each other. How this match will shape up is anyone's guess, but here's mine.Comparing stats, Haas is a strong server, winning 86% of his service games and facing about 30% fewer break points than Murray. Murray on the other hand is a better returner, carving out 30 more break points while playing two less matches. Murray's record for breaking serve is fractionally under 1 in 3.People are starting to realise that Murray is one of the best returners in the game right now (currently 7th on this stat) and it's a great weapon to neutralise players who rely on big serves to power through matches (hen

So Andy Murray beats the world number 4, Davydenko (again), in straight sets (again): 7-6 6-4I've been in bed with a nasty cold so I missed this match. A real shame because it sounds like it was a bit special. Just over two hours and with an average of over 6 points per game, this was as epic as a straight sets match gets.For a change, AndyMurray.com has more info on the match than the BBC, so make sure you check out the link at the bottom of this post. Looking at the stats, what stands out to me is a rock-bottom 1st serve % for Murray (42% overall and down to 38% in the second set) but, by contrast, a total of 10 aces compared to Davydenko's 1.Afterwards Murray noted that the bounce was a little different from previous courts but from the way the match played out, it looks like Murray got the hang of it.This is a huge win in what is turning out to be a tough draw for Murray. Haas (9) is next, but compare that to Djokovic who has got to the Qtr-Finals without playing a seeded pl

Davydenko (4) is next and don't let the last meeting fool you, this will be a tough match.Davydenko has two wins against Murray already, but Murray may have a slight psychological advantage after a comfy straight sets win back in January. Murray has a stronger serve, but Davydenko has a return game that is comparable to Murray - except that Davydenko converts more break points. At this stage it seems there is little to choose between the two players.This match should be played tomorrow and I'll post the schedule as soon as I get it.Haas or Gonzalez will meet the winner of this match in the Qtr-Final.Looking at the rest of the draw, Blake is out, but Djokovic is cruising and has a good chance of reaching the semi-finals.The other half of the draw still looks strong with Ljubicic, Nalbandian, Roddick and Nadal still in play. The latter two have yet to drop a set.Murray Vs Davydenko may not be until tomorrow, but Murray & Henman have their next doubles game today and will play Chris

Murray wins again: 6-1 6-3I had to chuckle before the match listening to the commentator describing how Mahut may cause problems for Murray, but Murray should have enough to come through. Would it be wrong to suggest the commentator hadn't watched Murray play for a while.If Murray looked comfortable playing Moodie - against Mahut, Murray was sitting in a chaise longue with his feet up, sipping at a glass of Long Island Ice Tea. Murray held every serve and only faced one break point in the entire match. In the first set, Murray raced to a 5-0 lead before Mahut managed to hold a service game. Murray served it out comfortably.Mahut got more of a foothold at the beginning of the second set but, Murray soon broke again, and at 5-3 down Mahut let a 40-0 lead slip on his own serve and was broken again to complete the match in just 65 minutes.Murrays first serve percentage was in the 60's again, firing down seven aces in total. Altogether, Murray won 70% of his points on serve.It used to

Despite what AndyMurray.com might tell you, Safin is out, so Murray will play Nicolas Mahut (94) in the 3rd round.Mahut needed three sets against Safin, but bagelled him in the third. This might suggest a tough match for Murray, but against a player that's never been higher than 61 in the world rankings, it's hard to imagine Murray not coming off victorious here.The schedule's been kind to the UK audience again with Murray and Mahut due out second on court number two, with play starting at 6pm (UK time). So, once again, look for a start anytime aftet 7pm (UK time) on Sky Sports Extra.Looking at how the draws shaping up, Murray looks on course for a meeting with Davydenko (4) in the fourth round. The Qtr-Finals still has Haas (9) and Gonzalez (5) available, although the latter had to dig deep in a tense three-setter against Dancevic so I wouldn't be surprised to see Haas step up here.But of course, the real shock is Federer going down in straight sets to Canas (60) in only the se

Murray wins: 6-3 6-3As is increasingly the case against lower ranked opponents, Murray looked in complete control, racing to a 5-1 lead in the first set. Murray did take his foot of the pedal briefly and allowed Moodie one of his breaks back, but at the next opportunity, Murray served out comfortably 6-3.The second set started slowly, but Murray got the break in game six. Another hold a piece, but when serving to stay in the match, Moodie faltered and Muray had three match points. He needed all three, but overall the match was as comfortable as the score suggests.It was plain to see why Moodie had managed to get to the second round with strong net play and a tough serve, but he had nothing that could trouble Murray for any extended period.Murray's 1st serve percentage was way up again today (74% in the second set, 67% overall) and although he only managed three aces, Murray took advantage of some big serving and finished a lot of points swiftly. It was unusual to see so few lengt

Qualifying is over so we can narrow Andy Murray's 2nd round opponent down to two players.It will be either Lukas Dlouhy (109) or Wesley Moodie (142).Murray and Moodie played way back in 2003 and Murray won 6-4 6-1.Dlouhy (knocked out Bogdanovic in the last qualifying round) seems the more likely opponent though having won four of his eight matches this year, compared to Moodies 0/2. Dlouhy actually started the year inside the top 100, but it seems that doubles is his strength, starting the year ranked 20th and currently up to 16.Moodie and Dlouhy are fifth on court so probably won't begin until 12pm (UK time) today. I would guess that the 2nd round match will be on Sunday, but I'll check in tomorrow and confirm it.So, in theory, Murray looks a cert for round three but no chicken counting. The top ten is on the horizon and from here on in, every match counts.

UPDATE: I just had an awesome thought! The Pacific Life Open could see Federer break the record for consecutive wins (currently held by Guillermo Vilas - 45 wins).Federer will have to win his semi-final match to break the record but, remember... the last time Federer lost was to Andy Murray.This means... wait for it... if Murray is drawn in the same half as Federer and keeps winning, he will HAVE to meet Federer before the final.In other words, for Federer to break the record he may have to get past the same player that last defeated him. The same player that stopped Federer from breaking this record a while ago.If Federer and Murray meet in Indian Wells this will be a huge deal. Remember, where you read it first.Well, the women's draw is up, but the men's draw won't be made until later on today. And with Murray not due to start until the second round, it's going to be at least a couple of days before we get any action.With so much to be gained from the tournaments covering the

The draw for next weeks Masters Series event will be unveiled soon but first, to stoke your anticipation, here's what you need to know.The Pacific Life Open is held in Indian Wells, California and is played on a hard court. It's a Masters Series event which means it is only one small step below a Grand Slam. Only the four Grand Slams and the Masters Cup have more ranking points to offer.Like the Grand Slams, Indian Wells has seven rounds played over a two-week period (compared to five in the average ATP tournament), but 32 seeded players get an automatic BYE to the second round. Federer has won this tournament three years in a row - his first victory coming against Tim Henman in the 2004 final.Progress in a Masters Series event is almost as difficult as progressing in a Grand Slam because - barring injury - nearly all of the top players will enter. Of the five players above Murray in the current ATP World Rankings, only Ljubicic has reached a final in a Masters Series during the

I had a really busy weekend so, although I found time to watch some tennis, I didn't get enough time to post the details. Murray defeated Koubek in a convincing 6-3 6-2 performance (growing into the tournament as per San Jose) and setup a semi-final against Andy Roddick.Before I get into a blow-by-blow of Murrays defeat, I have to say that the thing that struck me most about this match was how quiet Murray seemed. As far as I could tell, there was no shouting at Brad, no frustrated ourbursts. Even when Murray raised his game and then gifted the advantage back to Roddick, Murray seemed to just accept it.Now I'm all for Murray getting control of his temper and frustrations and if this was a conscious effort to be more restrained, then credit to him. But I couldn't help wondering if there was something distracting Murray on Saturday. There was nothing in the post-match interviews about this so I'm left to wonder.Murray certainly started slowly, losing his opening service game and

Andy Murray & Stefan Koubek (73) are due to play no earlier than 9:30pm (UK time) today.This is their first meeting and Koubek will be no pushover having been a pro for 13 years and with three ATP titles to his name (the last one was in 2003).Lately, Murray seems to be in such control of his matches that I've almost forgotten what it's like for Murray to lose. Remember, Murray's only defeats this year were a well contested final against Ljubicic and a five-set epic against Nadal. It's hard to see Murray losing here and if he wins it will take his winning streak to 8 (one better than last years streak - over the same two tournaments).If all goes to plan then the likely semi-final match is yet another tussle with Roddick.Source:AndyMurray.com - Official Website

It makes a change to have a match that doesn't start after midnight and although I didn't have access to LiveScore, I was able to get updates by listening to BBC Radio FiveLive.Not that they were giving much away with football dominating the news. At 11pm I learned that Murray was one set up and 4-4 in the second.At 12pm I learned that Murray had won in straight sets. Nice to know the result, but a score would have been appreciated. I tuned in again this morning and I couldn't even find a mention.Anyway, now I'm online I'm pleased to learn the result was 6-3 7-6 (7-4).On balance this seems like an easier victory than their match last week, but the stats demonstrate that Murray is still below his best.Again we come back to the first serve percentage: 48% in the first and a tragic 35% in the second. Even more tragic for Pless is that - despite the lack of form on the Murray serve - he only managed to carve out 1 break point. Which Murray defended.By contrast Murray had 11 brea

Andy Murray and Kristian Pless (86) are due out on court not before 3:30pm (9:30pm UK Time) so this will be a little bit easier to follow. Still no tv coverage (Eurosport will be showing the Semi-finals and Final again on the weekend), but LiveScore is always available.Murray and Pless met in the 2nd round last week and Murray needed three sets to see off the Dane. Murray will need to keep his concentration, but will be expected to come through and, consequently, at least equal last years Qtr-Final appearance.On a seperate note, I must just comment on how much the official Andy Murray website has improved over the last couple of months. There is a little more detail in the posts than before and the forums really seem to be driving the content. Murray himself has been dipping into the forums and although some of the threads are a bit too diverse for my tastes, there are some gems to be found.Well worth a visit.www.andymurray.com

This was something of a scare for Murray fans and, of course, for Murray himself. At 0-3 down in the final set, Murray had to dig deep to recover.The final score: 6-3 4-6 6-4A first round exit after such an amazing show last week would be have been disastrous and would have had the pessimistic Murray critics up and down the country rubbing their hands in glee.But of course, this is the new mentally tough Murray who seems to be able to come back from anything. Not that Murray hasn't always had a fighting spirit, but right now the confidence and belief is making a world of difference and takes Murray's record for the year to 13-2.As always, without the benefit of watching the match, it's hard to tell why this match ran so close. Murray himself put it down to: - good play from his opponent - some dodgy serving in the second set (only 42% first serves in) - not enough warm-up time on a surface substantially different to San JoseHopefully the third item won't be an issue now as it t

UPDATE: It looks like Murray's first round match will be on Wednesday now. On the one hand this is good because it gives Murray more recovery time after last weeks tournament. However, it does mean a match every day as long as he progresses. Let's hope for two set matches and a couple of bagels. Mmmm - time for breakfast I think.It was in this tournament last year that Murray moved above Tim Henman in the rankings for the first time. He lost to Soderling in the Qtr-Final.Murray returns to Memphis this week and should be in action on Tuesday this week. He will play Frank Dancevic (95) for the first time.Murray is seeded three for this tournament and could face Ginepri in the Qtr-Finals, Roddick (again) in the Semis and Haas in the Final. Murray needs to reach at least the quarter-finals to keep his rankings points steady. Unless one of the players above him crashes out earlier in their tournament, Murray would probably need to win to have any chance of moving up the rankings.It'

Murray retains his title: 6-7 6-4 7-6I'm enthusiastic inside, but after a late night watching a 3-set epic, I'm too tired to inject sufficient enthusiasm into my post.Suffice to say, it was tense and Murray showed unbelievable mental strength to cope with such an unusual opponent.At 6'10, Karlovic smashes his serves from a height of about 10 feet with Roddick levels of power. And, on a hard court, this means that even if you can get to the serve, the ball is going to be bouncing up around your ears.In the run-up to the final, Karlovic averaged two aces PER GAME and consequently, had only been broken once in this tournament.To top it off, Karlovic has a loooong reach making him a very handy at volleying at the net.There's a reason why Karlovic is outside of the top 100. The rest of his game is decidely average. But when you're playing on a fast court and you're almost impossible to break, what else do you need?In the first set, Murray only managed one break point and, although

Murray reckons it's fifty-fifty, but I reckon he's being modest.Ivo Karlovic (103) may have a big serve but, right now, Murray's got a pretty good one of his own and unless two of the sets go to a tie-break, I can't imagine Karlovic getting the upper hand.This is Karlovic's seventh year as a pro and he has yet to win a title. If he's going to break that duck today, he's going to have to find a way through Murrays defences.Let's just say I'm feeling very confident about this. I might regret it, but I can't shake the feeling that this is going to go Murrays way.11pm (UK time) on Eurosport 2. Don't miss it!

In 45 mins I have a dinner reservation at my favourite Mexican restaurant so I have to be quick. I finished watching the match this afternoon and it was just awesome. Good match, very close and extremely satisfying to see Murray coming out on top over Roddick, yet again.7-6 (10-8), 6-4 was the final score and it was as close as the score suggests.Murray had to save two set points in the first set tie-break when Roddick took a 6-4 lead, but he held the advantage until at 9-8 to the good, he got a lucky net-cord.Roddick could rightly feel a little a little unfortunate and he started the second set strongly. Nonetheless, Murray seemed to relax completely in the second set, mixing up his play well, serving much better and working Roddick hard on his returns.The break-through came in the fifth game when Murray broke Roddick and then held to go 4-2 up. Murray had to save one break point in game 8, but he had no problems with the final service game. The final shot was another lucky net co

Andy Murray Vs Andy Roddick (4) is the real final.The other semi is between Benjamin Becker (49) - the sixth seed - and Ivo Karlovic (103) who is unseeded for this tournament.Whichever Andy wins will be the clear favourite to win on Sunday night. But this semi-final is less clear.In fact I'm really struggling to pick a winner (even with my Murray bias). Their record against each other is 2-2. Roddick has the last two victories, but the last one was an exhibition and the one before that was against a tired Murray who'd just defeated Federer and then struggled through a 3-set against Ginepri.By that standard you'd have to fancy Roddick who has really improved his game under Connors and is brimming with confidence. Whereas Murray has looked a little shakey in the last two matches and has had to play one more set than Roddick.Still, Roddick had to push for his victory against Spadea (64) so he's far from invincible. And he may have in the back of his mind last years semi-final (he

Murray wins in three sets, so it was by no means a one-sided contest.Murray started slowly losing the first set 4-6, but recovered well in the second set, winning 6-3. In the final set, Murray broke Lee in the 11th game and had a chance to serve out the match. But Lee broke back to set up a tense tie-break which Murray took 7-4.The final score then: 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-4)It's not easy to tell from the match reports whether this match was close because Murray was below his best or because Lee had a particularly good match.Probably a bit of both.The telling statistic for me is Murray's first serve percentage - 46% overall (compared to Lee's 67%). Not always, but it often seems when the 1st percentage is up, Murray is flying. When it's down, Murray has to really work hard for the win.Of course, either way, a win is a win, but a 2-hour match 24hrs before facing Roddick in the semi-finals is not ideal. The only consolation is that Roddick also took three sets and two hours to see off S

Grrr. Yet another evening match for Murray (2nd on court after 7pm local time) which means another circa 3am start (UK time).And to add insult to injury, there are still no UK sports channels covering the tournament. Hopefully this will change for the semi-finals and the final so, providing Murray does the business early Saturday morning, we could get a bit of action over the weekend.The semi-finals are at 9pm (UK time) Saturday night or 3am (UK time) on Sunday morning.Let's hope Murray is drawn for the earlier match.The final is less of a problem, starting at 11pm (UK time) Sunday evening.Again, this all assumes Murray does the job against Lee (54). These two players have yet to meet, but Lee looks to be on form having yet to drop a set in this tournament. Murray will have to raise his game a notch from the last match, but I'm confident that he'll do it.It's worth noting that the first seeded player, James Blake has been knocked out by Ivo Karlovic.If Murray gets past Lee toda

You may have noticed that Murray reached a career high of 13 in the world rankings this week, without actually playing any tennis.If you're wondering why this happened and how the world rankings are calculated... keep reading.I've been studying the complicated description of how the ranking system works in tennis on the official ATP website and I will do my best to break it down as simply as possible. I'm not an expert on this though, so if I make a mistake or miss something important, please post a comment.OK. Here we go... - Each tournament offers ranking points. - The further you go in the competition, the more ranking points you win. - The more important the tournament, the more ranking points on offer. - The four grand slams offer the most ranking points, followed by the Masters Series, followed by ATP tour tournaments, followed by Challenger tournaments.OK so far?A players ranking score is calculated by adding up all the ranking points they gained during the last 365 days.

Kristian Pless (83) proved a tougher opponent than the result of the first set suggested.Murray won the opening set 6-0, but Pless picked up his game and won the second set on a tie break (7-5).The third set offered one anxious moment for Murray fans as he had two break points against him while 2-3 down. Murray recovered to hold his serve and then broke Pless immediately before serving out the final set 6-4.So far in this tournament we've seen Murray show his ability to cruise through against a weaker opponent and his ability to get himself out of a hole when under pressure. What next?In the Qtr-Finals, Murray will play either Simon Greul (81) or Hyung-Taik Lee (54)Source:BBC SPORT | Tennis | Murray battles to overcome Pless

6-3 6-1 to Murray sounds pretty convincing.BBC News reports that Murray served eleven aces with a new personal best of 145mph (although other reports suggest the speed gun may be a bit over sensitive).I think this is the kind of result we can expect to see more and more when Murray plays lower ranked players. This is important because the more matches that finish in short, straight sets, the more energy Murray reserves for the later stages of tournaments.No surprises in the tournament so far with all the seeded players progressing.Source:BBC SPORT | Tennis | Murray cruises into second round

I've had a weeks holiday which I chose carefully to ensure it didn't coincide with any Murray matches (ahem).Murray is in action today (or early tommorrow morning if you're in the UK) in the first round of the SAP Open in San Jose, California. This is the first time Andy Murray has started an ATP tournament as the holder so there are a lot of ranking points to defend.The BBC website mentions that Andy could drop in the rankings if he goes out early. While this is true, it should be noted that a couple of decent runs during the next few tournaments would make up the difference fairly easily. As mentioned before, Murray was about to go through a dry spell this time last year so there are lots of chances to pick up points.Murray is seeded 3 in this tournament behind Andy Roddick and James Blake. As with last year, Murray could meet Roddick in the semi-finals. Murray has yet to play Blake and could do this week in what would be a mouth-watering final.First up though is Kevin Kim (125).

Andy Muray's new ATP world ranking is 14. Well done Andy!Moving up one place for getting to the fourth round of a Grand Slam may seem stingy but, of course, the higher you move up the world ranking the harder it gets to move up.As you may have heard by now, Murray will not be playing in Zagreb to give a blister (picked up during the Australian Open) time to heal. It looks like his next tournament will be San Jose which Murray will enter as the holder.This is the first time Murray has had an ATP title to defend. He'll be up for it, but it means that he has a lot of ranking points to defend if he's going to maintain his push into the top ten.Whatever happens next month it's worth remembering that in 2006 between San Jose and Wimbledon, Murray went on a lean streak. This means that Murray has the opportunity to pick up a lot of ranking points over the next few months and a real chance to break into the top ten before the French Open.Source:BBC SPORT | Tennis | Murray rises to new

Here it is then - we're less than an hour away from Murray vs Nadal (2).Nadal will be favourite (just) with greater experience and greater strength and stamina. It will be a year or two before Murray is at his physical peak.But there are two things about Murray's performance against Chela that - if he can carry them through to this match - will give Nadal some problems.1) The ServeUp to 70% of first serves in and Murray wins a lot of points when his first serve goes in. Against Chela, again and again Murray kicked the serve out wide dragging his opponent out of position and then fired the returned ball to the opposite side of the court. Nadal is fast, but no-one's fast enough to chase those balls down if done correctly.2) DefenceOn the rallies when Chela was in control, dragging Murray from one side to the other, Murray showed his speed and his defensive skills. His blocked returns were landing so deep that Murray was frequently able to turn defence into attack.If Muray can br

Didn't get into work this weekend so apologies for the late post.Obviously you know by now that Murray defeated Chela 6-3 6-2 6-4. I managed to watch a recording on Saturday afternoon without finding out the result beforehand, so I had some decent entertainment.The result makes it look like Murray was comfortable, but the truth is that Murray was RIDICULOUSLY comfortable. Looking at the players it seemed hard to imagine how Chela had got as far as he had.That's not meant to insult Chela, but I think Murray does that to a lot of players. He mixed up the pace of the rallies so much that Chela couldn't find a rhythm. At no point did Murray ever look out of control of this match. The only blip came in the third set when the players traded breaks, but this seemed to be as much a touch of boredom forcing a lack of concentration on Murray's part.Murray got to show most of his range of shots - even coming into the net and showing some razor-sharp volleying. Murray is at his absolute

The schedule for day 6 says Murray and Chela are 4th out on the MCA court. This means an evening start (no earlier than 8:30am UK time) in Australia which also means that the conditions will favour Murray. This should be the toughest match so far but, with Murray's current confidence and form, I don't see why this can't finish up another straight sets victory.As before you should be able to catch this on British Eurosport or BBCi (online) from 8:30am (UK Time) on Saturday morning.Here's a quick update on who Murray could be facing in future rounds based on who's still in the draw:3rd Round:The seeded player for this section is Jarko Nieminen (18).Murray won their match in last years Canada Master Series, two sets to one. This should be the first real test for Murray.Juan Ignacio Chela is the man who put Nieminen out and also Murray in the first round last year. Revenge is best served on a balmy Australian evening in front of a crowd of Murray fans.4th Round:Finally! This could b

Chela (33) dumped out Nieminen and so will be Murray's next opponent.To be honest, this should have been the match I really wanted as this is a chance for Murray to avenge his straight sets defeat in the first round of Murray Vs Chela - Australian Open 2006.Murray and Chela have played since then in the Murray Vs Chela - Paris Masters 2006. Murray won in straight sets on that occasion with a bagel to boot. This match should be closer, but I still fancy Murray to have too much class for the Argentinian.A lot of this will come down to when the match is played. An evening match - when it's cooler - and Murray will be a cert. An early match will hand a big advantage to Chela who is more accustomed to the heat.I'll post again once the schedule is up.

Not as pretty from Murray by all acccounts with plenty of breaks of serve on both sides and the first serve percentage in the pits again. A combination of tenacious play from Verdasco and a blisteringly hot Australian sun making for a long and scrappy match.Nevertheless, Murray won in straight sets 7-6 (7-4), 7-5, 6-4.The reporter on BBC radio this morning praised Murray for coming back from behind in the first two sets (1-3 down in the first set and 1-4 down in the second) and showing great ability to change his tactics when needed.Two rounds done then and Murray has yet to drop a set. Right now I think most players will be looking at Murray and wondering just how well and just how hard you have to play to win three sets against him.Source:BBC SPORT | Tennis | Murray through with scrappy win

As previously mentioned, Murray has met Verdasco (35) once before at a challenger back in 2003.Verdasco was a straight sets winner on that occasion but you can expect things to go down a little differently tomorrow.Murray is due out in the Vodafone Area third after two Women's matches. This means 2am (UK time) is the absolutely earliest you can expect, but sometime between 2:30 and 3:30 is a safer bet.If you're a night owl then you should be able to catch this on British Eurosport or BBCi. I have work tomorrow, so I'll be finding out the result when I get up tomorrow - hopefully it'll be good news.Here's a quick update on how the draw is progressing. My original predictions are in black and the updates are in red.1st Round:Andy Murray Vs Alberto MartinThis is their first meeting. Unless Murray gets off to a slow start anything less than a straight sets victory would be a surprise.Got this one right, although I didn't expect it would be quite so comprehensive.2nd Round:Fernando

Andy Murray failed to recover from a throat infection in time for his opening match in Switzerland and will now concentrate on recovering in time for the Paris Masters next week. In some ways a rest from competition may do Murray more good, but it's hard not to admire the determination to play at every opportunity. Source: BBC SPORT | Tennis | Illness forces Murray to pull out

The lure of another tournament was evidently too much for Murray who has decided to delay his rest to play in Basel. Last year, Murray got to the qtr-finals before being knocked out by eventual winner, Fernando Gonzalez. This tournament was most notable, however, for throwing up the first Murray Vs Henman encounter which Murray won 6-2, 5-7, 7-6. Murray is seeded 6 for this tournament and has a decent chance of getting to the qtr-finals again. First up is Del Potro (91) who is 16 months younger than Murray but is still inside the top 100. This could be a harder match than the ranking suggests. If Murray overcomes this hurdle he will face either Burgsmuller or Bastl, both of whom are below the 150 mark. The Qtr-Finals could be Gonzalez (again!) with the possibility of Nalbandian in the semi's and Federer in the final. This tournament is being shown on Eurosport so I'll post the schedule when I have it. Play starts on Tuesday. Source: Davidoff Swiss Indoors Basel

I was driving home from an exhibition in Birmingham yesterday afternoon so I had to make do with occasional updates on Radio Five Live. After Murray dropped a little in the second set and Ljubicic levelled at one set all, I started thinking back to that result in February. But Murray held his first two serves to love and finally broke Ljubicic in the 8th game. Murray then served out for the match, finishing with an ace. 6-4 3-6 6-3 against the world number 3, will sit nicely alongside this years victories against Hewitt, Roddick (twice), Gonzalez, and Federer. Next up is Novak Djokovic (17). The two players know each other well (Murray is seven days older), but Djokovic has had an extra two years as a pro, so this should be a close match. The match is scheculed after Haas Vs Nadal which starts at 7pm (UK Time), so the start could be as late as 9pm. Source: BBC SPORT | Tennis | Murray stuns third seed Ljubicic BBC SPORT | Tennis | Gamewatch: Murray v Ljubicic

Pastor held Murray off in the second set until he had to serve to stay in the match. The final score: 6-2 6-4. Ivan Ljubicic (3) will be the next opponent. Their only meeting was a victory for Ljubicic in Croatia in February 2006. Murray won the opening set that day, but went on to lose the next two. As soon as I have an order of play, I'll post it here. Source: BBC SPORT | Tennis | Murray breezes through in Madrid

The ATP website isn't working at the moment so I can't pull up a comparison, but suffice to say that Navarro is 120+ in the rankings so Murray has a good opportunity to break his losing streak. In fact, as I type this, Murray has won the first set 6-2. His first serve percentage for this first set was an impressive 75%. If Murray carries on in this fashion he will play Ljubicic who has a bye to the second round. Dropping to 20 in the rankings has cost Murray a seeding for this tournament so it will take a real effort to get past the 2nd round. Murray is in the same side of the draw as Davydenko and Nadal. Federer is in the other half of the draw.

After pulling a hamstring in a match against Xavier Malisse the previous week, Andy Murray was advised by his physio to take a 10-day break. In non-match related news, the media was talking about the forthcoming Aberdeen Cup and Murray's profile during the 2012 Olympics. Source: Andy Murray News Archive - October 2005

Rain has delayed play in Tokyo so Murray & Murray will have to wait to play their match.As with the last tournament in Thailand, all the seeded pairs have been knocked out of their half of the draw so two strong performances could put them into a second consecutive final.

Apologies again for the delay in posting. I've really got to get over my hatred of writing about Andy Murray's defeats. No tennis player - not even the mighty Federer - wins every single game. Murray was defeated in the 2nd rnd by Jiri Novak 6-3 7-6 (7-1). Davis Cup aside, this makes for Murray's third defeat in a row and definitely qualifies as a mini slump in form. But before I get all depressed again, here's some reminders of why Murray's fans expect so much from the nineteen year old. - In approximately 18 months as a pro, Murray has risen to number 16 in the world. - The average age for breaking into the top 100, is 21. Murray has reached 16th place at the age of 19. So far this year, Murray has: - Reached his second ATP final. - Defeated Federer in straight sets. - Reached the Qtr-Final and the Semi-Final of Master Series tournaments. - Reached the 4th rnd at Wimbledon and the US Open (one round more than his seeding). - Led the GB Davis Cup team to their first win in

Andy Murray will play Jiri Novak onWednesday, but has already bagged his first win along with his brother Jamie Murray in the first round of the doubles.Murray & Murray beat Butorac & Parrott 7-5 6-3.I've lifted the score straight off the live scoreboard so all I have for now is some stats.Match Time: 56mins1st Serve Percentage: 85%Points Won: 62/116And a first for me. I've managed to blog this news before the official Andy Murray site did :-)Source:JTA Official Live Score

Murray has a bye through the first round and will play either Robin Vik (86) or Jiri Novak (130), neither of whom he has played before. Looking further ahead (always a dangerous game), Murray will likely meet Benjamin Becker (75) in the third round, but isn't scheduled to meet a higher seeded player (Murray is 4th for this tournament) until the semi-final when he could meet Roger Federer (1). No word yet on when Murray will play his match, but expect it to be Tuesday at the earliest. I'll keep an eye out and post details as soon as I can find it. Source: AIG OPEN 2006 - Tournament Schedule

A great doubles performance from the brothers Murray saw off the challenge of Haggard & Kerr 7-6 6-4 to secure their place in the final.There they met the number one seeded pair of Erlich & Ram and although they won the second set, they lost on a champions tie-break - 6-2, 2-6, 10-4.This will, hopefully, go some way to relieving the disappointment of a first round exit in the singles tournament and also bodes well for Andy Murray's future in the doubles section of the Davis Cup.Source:andymurray.com | The bros loseandymurray.com | Into the final

Andy Murray is seeded 4th in the tournament he finished runner-up in last year. That final appearance will mean Murray has plenty of ranking points to defend so will need to put in a good performance to continue his push toward the top ten. Murray has been paired against Henman (again!) in the first round to be played on Tuesday. Taking a look at the draw, Murray could again be matched against a GB player if Bogdanovic gets through his first round match against Yeu-Tzuoo Wang. Looking further ahead, Paradorn Srichaphan (the home favourite) could be the opponent in the Qtr-Finals. Murray beat Srichaphan in the semi-final of this tournament last year. The top three seeds in ascending order are Ivan Ljubicic (could meet Murray in the semi-finals), Marcos Baghdatis and James Blake. Baghdatis and Blake are in the opposite side of the draw. Source: BBC SPORT | Tennis | Henman fired up for Murray battle THAILAND OPEN : The Official Site of Thailand Open

Murray and Dolgopolov had to wait over four hours for Rusedski to record a five set win over Stakhovsky (1-6 6-3 5-7 6-4 9-7), but their match was over far sooner as Murray romped to a 6-3 6-4 6-2 victory. It only took a couple of games for Dolgopolov to demonstrate that, even at the age of 17, he had some serious game, but once Murray had the measure of the player the result never seemed in doubt - bar a minor scare at the beginning of the second set. What was most entertaining about the match was listening to the BBC commentators positively gushing over Andy Murray's tennis prowess. It seems that any questions over whether or not Murray is the real deal have finally been laid to rest as the commentators seemed to fall over themselves to find higher superlatives. "World Class" came out at one point and in another moment it was claimed that when it comes to Murray's performances "there's nothing he can't do". The only sour note was when one of the commentators mentioned that Murr

I've been on holiday for a week so apologies for not posting anything since the US Open. The good news is that Andy Murray has risen three points in the ATP rankings, putting him at a career high of 16. Just 8 more places to go to ensure his entry in the Shanghai Masters :-) The official ATP website also has a nice stats page which is worth checking out. My favourite stat? Return Games Won %: 33 In other words, in any given set, Murray is going to break you. Twice. Once that first serve percentage gets to the 60-70 percent level, there will be few players who will be able to compete with that combination. Andy Murray Statistics - 2006

According to Andy Murray's post match interview, Nikolay Davydenko (6) is a better returner, but weaker on the serve.Put that together with Murray's own strengths and weaknesses and it sounds to me like a match with a lot of breaks of serve. The last time the two players met was in March, earlier this year. Between them, Murray & Davydenko managed 11 breaks of serve. Davydenko was the winner on that occasion 6-1 3-6 6-3.This match should be a notch harder than the previous, but if Murray can match his 2nd and 3rd round performances, there's no reason why this match shouldn't run close. The match is scheduled for tomorrow.4th Round:Again, sticking with the seeded players, Kristof Vliegen(36) or Nikolay Davydenko (7) are likely opponents. Murray lost in three sets to Davydenko earlier in the year and has never faced Vliegen before.Davydenko, as predicted.Qtr-Finals:This would, of course, be further than Murray has ever gone in a Grand Slam, so the opponent would be pretty much ir