Murray's Mountain

I don't think anyone is surprised that Andy Murray took out Novak Djokovic in the final of Miami - probably not even Novak. He might have beaten Federer in the semis... but I think we can all pretty much agree that Roger beat himself there (see Roger rant yesterday). I think we're looking at the change of the guard here in the #3 spot - I would not be at all surprised to see Murray take it over in the near future.

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Thing is, I have never been able to pinpoint why Murray is so good. He's a great all-court player, and a great counter-puncher, but there's nothing you can pinpoint - like the Nadal and Federer forehands, for example - that makes him so dangerous. I think I've compared him to Lleyton Hewitt before, and while that probably isn't exactly right, it's not that far off.

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But Murray has one real challenge ahead of him if he really wants to step up and grab that #3 spot. Come the hardcourt season, he is consistently outperforming just about everyone, except possibly Nadal at the moment. But on clay... I read an interview once that said that Murray was focusing on the Aussie Open, US Open and Wimbledon and that Roland Garros wasn't a priority for him. But if he wants to be a real challenger in a game where the two blokes at the top are comfortable on any surface, as shown by their ability to make and win finals on all these surfaces, then he needs to be able to do it on clay.

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I don't think there's any reason why the Murray game shouldn't translate onto clay. Sure, the speed of the hardcourts is good for him, but look at Federer's game - he thrives on quickness and speed as well, and he's made three consecutive Roland Garros finals. I've never actually seen Murray play on clay, come to think of it... probably because he generally gets knocked out so early he never actually plays too much on it! If I were him - this is my completely uneducated opinion - I'd play a good three or four tournaments before Roland Garros, just to make sure he gets the matches in, even if he loses early. I'd be open to the possibility of wildcards. Because if he wants to be in that top echelon, to challenge the Hispano-Suisse domination machine, and especially Djokovic, his most immediate challenge rankings-wise, someone who has proved his quality on clay, Murray needs to find a level of comfort on the red stuff.

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Can Murray climb the mountain? It's going to be very interesting to see!

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Today's Results

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Sony Ericsson Open (Miami)

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Men's Draw

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Andy Murray def. Novak Djokovic, 6-2 7-5