Why Murray may never return to the Singles
It’s that time of year again, and the strawberries and cream are set to come out as Wimbledon gets under way tomorrow.
Former British No. 1 and Davis Cup captain, John Lloyd, picks out who to watch over the next fortnight.
What does the future hold for Sir Andy Murray?
I don’t know the answer to that – but I do know that whatever Murray does, he will give it total commitment.
I could hardly believe my eyes last week at Queen’s Club. Andy made his return after hip surgery in the Men’s Doubles, and I expected a fairly low-key, gentle re-introduction to match play.
Not a bit of it. His attitude was sensational, not just in the matches, but in practice sessions as well.
That told me everything. Andy was mad with himself when he missed a ball in the warm-up. He took it all totally seriously.
It showed me that the competitive fire still burns strong. I don’t think Feliciano Lopez knew what he had let himself in for when agreeing to play Doubles with the born-again Scot.
Actually, I think Murray saved the tournament. A lot of the big names went out early, and a Singles final between Lopez and Gilles Simon would not normally have attracted much of an audience. But with Murray in the Doubles final, the television viewing figures were enormous.
Lopez was half-dead by the end of the week, but he has so much respect for Andy that he carried on to see it through.
Andy’s performance improved match by match. He was moving well – with no sign of impediment from the hip surgery, his return of serve was superb and his volleying was sharp.
The only weakness on display was the second serve, and I believe that’s all down to confidence. Once Andy has more matches under his belt, he will be able to put more snap into the serve.
So Murray proved at Queen’s that he can hold his own at top level – on half a court. Singles play on a full court is a different matter. That’s why I don’t know what the future holds.
Murray will start playing Singles again at some stage. I’m sure he wants to give it a go.
The question is, how long will he give himself to get back to where he wants to be? Will Andy be happy to be No. 50 in the world? Will he be happy with 20, or 10?
Some players are content just to be out there playing. They just love playing tennis.
I believe Andy’s eagerness at Queen’s showed that he has missed the game during his lay-off, but I’m not sure he is the type to carry on if he doesn’t completely believe he can win the Major titles.
Murray has won three Grand Slams. That’s why he is Sir Andy. I don’t believe he will settle for less than being able to challenge for top honours.
Perhaps the Doubles game will provide Andy with the challenge he needs. That wouldn’t surprise me. There’s no question that he would be a serious threat for Grand Slam Doubles titles if he played regularly.
At the Australian Open in January, Murray hinted that he might have played his last match, due to his damaged hip. Successful surgery has changed the perspective.
Murray can now retire from tennis on his own terms. He has shown he’s not ready to give up yet.
On the evidence, so far, I think Andy has every chance of making a real impact again. But Singles or Doubles? We have to wait and see.