Murray eyes third title of 2009

When he arrived in America a month ago, still coughing and spluttering and not knowing how much real, hard-edged competitive tennis he would be able to play, if someone had suggested to Andy Murray that he would play in successive Masters finals, he might have looked at them askance.
But here the British No.1 is, hot on the heels of one final in Indian Wells, California - where he was buffeted and blown aside by Rafael Nadal, the world No.1, and into the next, the Sony Ericsson Open here, where he will play Novak Djokovic, of Serbia in what is almost an official play off to decide who is the third best player in the world.
Statistically, Murray, currently in fourth position, cannot overhaul Djokovic this week, but the Scot's breath is heavy on Djokovic's neck. Murray has won their past two meetings as he had against Juan Martin Del Potro, of Argentina, an advantage he extended last night with a 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 victory over the 6'6" totem, one in which his full repertoire of strengths, of versatility in defence and attack (never has one seen him defend better), of purpose and poise and of a sheer refusal to be overpowered.
He even managed to keep his cool when, in the seventh game of the final set, as Del Potro was forced to bend and stretch to try to generate a volleyed response to a craftily flighted backhand and seemed to seize up, the Argentinian was alowed to walk to his chair and have a breather. What other sport allows its rules to be bent with such impunity? Though Del Potro summoned a trainer and had his right thigh rubbed, it was clearly a stalling tactic - one which he should not have been allowed to get away with. Tennis needs to revisit its rule book.
Notwithstanding such an interruption, Murray stood firm, clamined Del Potro's serve on the ensuing break point when he drew a forehand error and served out beautifully to love just to drive the dagger home. The pair exchanged friendly words at the net but Murray's response to his victory, with clenched fists and jaw set, showed how much it meant to him.
Having won two tournaments already this year, in Doha and Rotterdam, a third is not beyond his powers, eve n given the quality of the opposition. He lost in the semi finals here to Djokovic two years ago but he was injured and ill, so it was not really a match at all. When he chose not to play in the Davis Cup tie against Ukraine last month because of a virus, he was vilified in certain quarters but it was always a greater concern that his body and mind were in shape for this American hard court swing when so many rankings points are up for grabs. Murray is going for a second fistful here tomorrow.
The mutilated remains of one of the rackets with which Roger Federer had dominated men's tennis lay in bits on the cement of Crandon Park yesterday as an emblem of the sense of brokenness that has overcome him. All that could have gone wrong with the 27-year-old went wrong yesterday and as he sat facing the press, wiping away the tears with the collar of his tennis top, you wondered when he would look at the world with a clear vision again.
When Federer smacked his implement into the ground and the jeers of the Florida crowd rang in his ears - they are an uplifting lot in these parts - there was a feeling of emptiness, even though 8,000 odd people were in his company. It is a sensation he has felt before in a period of his career that has provided an awful lot of questions but very few answers.
He has been a great player for so long - 237 consecutive weeks as the No.1, 13 grand slam titles and assorted other tournaments bear testimony to his brilliance - that to see him in such disarray really comes as a bit of a shock. In the aftermath of his 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 defeat, one suggested that to him with all the diplomacy one could muster.
"You try hard and then it's just not working," he replied, the tears adhering to his eyelid. "Today it is different just because there's so much wind, as well. Once you start feeling bad, it's tough to regroup. Once one guy gets the upper hand, the other guy is a bit uncertain. He played so bad in the first set, I had a great effort by finishing even worse than him. It was good." The last two quotes were, of course, Federer being facetious, which is not like him at all.
Actually, nothing about Federer is like him at all at the moment. There was so much mis-timing yesterday, it was difficult to believe you were watching a Swiss. The forehand that used to be Mr Dependability has become a liability, his footwork was non-existent and far too often, he simply does not seem to have the will to make himself move to the place where he needs to be. It was only because Djokovic was terrible at the start and was as tight as a drum at the end, that the result was not more convincing in his favour.
Both Murray and Djokovic will have eyed Federer's discomfiture - he did not shake the hand of Fergus Murphy, the umpire, which is another eye-opener - with a good deal of eagerness. They can see that Federer is wounded and this year, he has been unable to beat any of the top three players and struggled with a few from lower down the scale. This is simply an unprecedented period for Federer the professional, the veneer that was once unbreakable, is being shattered far too easily. "Thank God the hard court season is over," he said. But can he really be looking forward to the clay?
The suggestion that the smashing of his racket equated with seminal moment in his career, was met with disdain. "Just because I smashed the racket doesn't mean I am losing it. I didn't feel great, it's just a natural thing I did." Natural for Marat Safin, for Goran Ivanisevic, for Djokovic himself maybe. But for Roger Federer?
Source:the times