Australian Open - Rusedski tips Murray-Fed final
Eurosport - Tue, 20 Jan 09:30:00 2009
Eurosport tennis analysts Greg Rusedski and Virginia Wade discuss Andy Murray's chances in this year's Australian Open.
Virginia Wade: Andy Murray is playing the best of anyone in the world at the moment - but in a way you sense that Roger Federer is saving everything up to win this one. But who knows?
Greg Rusedski: I have to say that Andy's got a great chance to win, and I think he's ready to win a major championship now. Last year he wasn't. To me, he looks stronger, he looks fitter, he's hitting the ball better... and since he lost to Nadal at Wimbledon last year he's gotten more aggressive. A lot of people would say that, on paper, he's been the best player in the world since then.
VW: Murray plays this amazingly complete game which is always fascinating to watch, because he's always doing something a little different. But he himself has said 'the way I play when I'm playing well, I have to have so much concentration' - and to keep that up for five sets day after day after day... Sometimes you can win a game in straight sets and it drains you because your concentration is so good, while other times you might be on court for much longer but it won't be so bad because you're on automatic. I don't think Andy can play on automatic. I think he has to have everything functioning at full tilt - particularly his head.
GR: On that score Pat Cash recently said that he's had trouble bouncing back after five-set matches - beating Gasquet followed by losing to Nadal at Wimbledon; then beating Nadal before losing to Federer at the US Open, for example. But Murray could have turned the match against Federer at the US Open had he won that second set when he didn't use Hawkeye to his favour. He's spent a month in Miami training for this and the results are showing. He's physically ready - the question for me is if he's mentally ready. I think everything's in place right now - and I'm expecting a Federer-Murray final.
VW: This time last year we talked about Murray possibly winning, but it was never going to happen. But he's made giant strides since then, he's improved his strengths and taken away his weaknesses. He's coming into his own.
GR: Let's put things into perspective: you've got Roger Federer with 13 Slams, Novak Djokovic has one and Rafael Nadal has five, so to say he's the outright favourite might be stretching it. But can he win it? Yes he can. He's serving such a high percentage of first serves in, and people haven't been able to attack it. He's got a lot more variety in it as well which is putting guys like Nadal and Federer under pressure.
VW: And I tell you one thing: if it comes down to Murray against Federer, and Andy Murray can go on court thinking about having beaten Roger Federer twice in two weeks, he'll feel pretty good about playing him... but it's a long way between now and then - and a Grand Slam title.
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Comment 45 - 64 of 64
Noo it will not be :-)
one of those two favorites will drop in Semies, Nadal or Fedex.
Murray or Novak, I hope both will make them game very hard
ALISON.WILL BE RIGHT WELL DONE ALISON.
ALISON.
IT WILL BE RAFA VS ROGER FINAL. YOU WAIT AND SEE.
ALISON.
I expect Novak is going to show his best in few days ! This is jut warming up :-)
federer nadal final, they know how to play grand slams.
hope murray goes out in next round
i hope roger will win australian open...
Roger is by far and away my favourite player of all time. I'm sure I'm not the only one (Alison will agree!!) that not would I like him to break the gs record, but go on to hold it for a long time to come. To do that though, surely he need s good full time coach, Darran Cahill in my opinion. Aggassi was no mug, he realized he had to do something, albeit he was about 30. The thing is though, at 30-34, Aggassi was still a serious competitor, not making the numbers up, surely a lot of that was down to a serious coach. It's his job to get the best out of a player. Federer can still beat anyone on his day, especially is the gs events, but it seems every match now, the unforced errors are off the scale. In 3 set games against Murray, he wins the first, but can't sustain it in the next two. Perhaps he needs the hunger to win.
Go for it Roger, win The Australian, qual the record and break it at Wimbledon, although I'd be even happier if you did it at the French!!!!!
moskeman - it's clear you know nothing about tennis.
webbski - you have serious issues. Why do you continue to comment on someone you claim to hate. It's very strange that you feel the need to do it. Sounds like you're a tad jealous of Murray. I'm sure Federer is pleased Murray is on the other side of the draw. If somehow had beaten me the last 4 times we had played then that is where I would want them to be.
57. Don't end your life.
I am an open-mineded single girl who love sports. I want to end my single life by meeting
a guy who likes sports too. Let's mingle at the club ___ kISs M ill iona ireS Co m __
Did anyone see that useless ex-player Barbara Schett interview Federer? She said 'I bet you're happy Murrat is in the other half of the drawer', and then she laughed to herself for ages as if she had said something funny. Well, if anyone sees this talentless interviewer in their travels, please let her know that she actually made the least amusing comment by the species @#$% sapiens, and her own laughter at her pointless, irritating comment, might be the single piece of evidence that evolution is going backwards.
I hope that if Murray wins a match, he doesn't bother rolling up is sleeve to show us he can balance a pea where his bicep should be, like he did at Wimbledon.
It is scary when you think Fed may be past his best at 28!!That only gives smiler Murray 7 years to win Wimbledon. I wonder what the odds are on that? I'll have to look.
murray is simply the form play tahts why he is one of the favourites and has comfortably beaten not struggled to finish federer 6-2 6-2 shows he is in top form and comfortably downed roddick and he now has the whole tennis world watching him i think another year and he will simply be near number 1 but wont make it until he improves on clay
comment 47..i cant spell but you cant see!!mc enroe took tennis to another level!!players nowadays rely on their first serve too much!!i,m twenty stone and could do a first serve of 145 mph with tennis elbow!!
GO NOVAK!
federer to make it 14 slams,hope murray does well,he is still learning,
I can't belive that everybody talks about Murray.
What so special about him anyway!?
He has won a few tournaments and suddenly he's the best. Gimme a break, he has won these tournaments just because everybody else were too tired in the end of the season. Where was he all past season when Djokovic and Nadal were beating everybody's @#$%!? Where was he on the Olympic games, or Wimbledon (he lost from Nadal in straight sets), or Roland Garros, or Australian Open???
But, I admit, he have a chance to win Australia 'cause Fed, Rafa and Nole are not playing their best tennis...
Everything is possible, because of that I hate Australian Open, half of the players come unprepared.
I give Djokovic 30% chances to defend his title.
Just for the record, I'm Rafa's fan!!! ;-) Cheers!
Djokovic = Champion of Australian Open !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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