Purely and simply Andy played great tennis and any moments where it looked like Nadal was finding his way back into the match he was stopped in his tracks by some clever, aggressive tennis.
For me the most important point of the match was the one after Andy missed a drive volley to secure a double break. It could have been a huge momentum swing but Andy on the next point took charge and cleaned the line with a massive forehand down the line!
Andy won 85% of his 2nd serves by serving almost always to the Nadal forehand , the first time he has employed this tactic which seemed to throw Nadal off especially on the deuce side as he was strangely wrong footed fairly often and then had no angle for the return so Andy could stay in the middle of the court and dominate the point.
I thought that Murray’s ability to switch heights and pace never allowed Nadal to settle whereas in previous matches Murray has employed a more consistent attacking style of play which on a clay court can be very difficult with little margin for error.
I’ve always believed that clay should be a great surface for Murray as he has so much variety to his game but adding more variety of spins and height over the net from both sides combined with his pile drivers at the right time are now making him an awesome force on the red stuff. Oh and yes he has now improved his ball toss so he can hit better serves!
All in, a truly wonderful performance which must make Murray feel like he has a real chance at Rolland Garros.
Yes Nadal may not be at his best just yet but I wouldn’t write him off for the French Open as a 5 set match allows him time to find his feet as he has shown 9 out of 10 times!
-Ian C
Clay Court Training
Really looking forward to Sicily next week for a clay court special hosted week in Trapani with a great group of 16 players who will hopefully be inspired by Andy Murray!
If you would like to learn to play on the red stuff this summer why not join us in Lucca or Florence where we still have some spaces.
http://www.tuscanytennis.com/prog…/special-hosted-weeks.html
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