Wilander praises Murray’s genius, says he is a smart player
Andy Murray will need to be at his streetwise best if he has to stay on top, threetime former Roland Garros champion Mats Wilander said ahead of Briton’s semifinal.
“Britain’s world number one has made a career out of solving puzzles during matches -- making up for a lack of one killer shot by utilising one of the best brains in men’s tennis,” said the Swede who was also known for his smart tactics.
“Andy Murray is not one of those players who plays well or badly, he plays the right way or the wrong way,” according to Wilander, who presents Eurosport’s flagship show ‘Game, Set and Mats’.
“The confidence factor falls into place because he knows his game plan. It’s all about playing the right way, the right match, and Murray is a genius at that.”
Stan Wawrinka proved in beating Novak Djokovic in the 2015 French Open final that he can blast anyone off the court with his groundstrokes and punishing serve, but Murray defused the Swiss’s game in last year’s semis with a tactical masterclass.
Rafael Nadal’s forehand is one of the most destructive shots ever seen while his semi-final opponent Dominic Thiem’s singlehanded backhand, loaded with fizzing topspin, is also becoming one of the most feared weapons in tennis.
Murray often needs a few extra shots to finish rallies, although it would be foolish to downplay the lethal nature of his groundstrokes.
But it is the Scot’s tennis brain that has helped him win three grand slam titles, said Wilander.
“We tend to think Murray has less power than Nadal,” he said. “Nadal just tries to hit as many forehands as possible and they are very clever forehands but he just gets guys on the run.
“Murray doesn’t have that shot. He has to plot his way through every point. So I think he is getting more out of his game than most players. That’s not saying he is over-achieving.
“But to compete with some of these great ball strikers and beat them handily, often, that’s down to his street sense on the court. He’s a genius. He can sense when to play the right shot.
“He feels every point. He’s very complicated. He’s so intense, he gets frustrated because he knows what’s going on, he feels every situation. To try and explain what Murray feels on a tennis court is a waste of time.
“There have not been any players ever who feel the moments, feel the tactics better than Murray.”
Andy Murray is finally able to recapture his best form after a succession of illnesses and injury curtailed his time on the practice court, coach Ivan Lendl has said ahead of the world number one’s French Open semi-final against Stan Wawrinka.
Murray struggled this year after being diagnosed with shingles in February and sustaining an elbow injury in March but eight-time grand slam champion Lendl says the Briton is now injury free and able to train fully again.
“It comes down to executing your game plan and the conditions,” Lendl told reporters on Thursday.
“Andy has been putting in great work. If you have three illnesses and an injury which take you out for some time, it’s very difficult mentally for the player...
“But now he is healthy and he can put the practices in.”
Murray, who has a 21-7 record this year, said his indifferent form earlier in the season had made him question things but he had been able to just focus on playing in recent matches, which had made a huge difference.
“I’m thinking less on the court. I think when things aren’t going well, it’s very easy to overthink things. You can be worrying about technique, which is never good when you’re playing matches,” Murray said.
“I was still feeling a little bit like that at the beginning of the tournament, the first match (against Andrey Kuznetsov). But I got through that and it made a huge, huge difference to me.”
Murray, who was runner-up to Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros last year, faces 2015 champion Wawrinka later on Friday.