True or false: Early 2016 tennis predictions

After a thrilling 2015 tennis season on both the men's and women's tours, we have a moment to catch our breath and look into the future. Will Serena maintain her WTA dominance? And will Andy Murray's momentum continue into the 2016 Slam season? Our experts weigh in on these issues and more.

Andy Murray will parlay his Davis Cup championship into at least one Grand Slam title in 2016.

Bodo: False. Winning the Davis Cup in 2010 was clearly a springboard for Novak Djokovic's three-Slam performance in 2011. The thing is, Andy Murray is not Djokovic, and he's not at a comparable stage of his career. The problem for Murray is he isn't the superior player at any of the majors, partly because he's a better three-set than five-set performer. Barring a major, unexpected upset or two at a Grand Slam event, Murray simply isn't consistently good enough to hammer his way through to the championship.

Garber: True. It's been a while since he won his two previous majors -- the 2012 US Open and 2013 Wimbledon -- but as his Davis Cup triumphs prove, he can still find the fire. Next year, he'll put a lot less energy into Davis Cup and more into the Grand Slams. I don't think it's a stretch to see him winning either Wimbledon or the US Open again.

Isaacson: True. It's as good a time as any, since Murray is physically fit, had as consistent a 2015 season as he ever has, and is riding some pretty decent momentum. He said he's gunning for the two Slam titles he hasn't yet won -- the Australian and French Opens -- and he was close in both in 2015, losing to Novak Djokovic twice (in the finals in Melbourne and semis in Paris). Fatherhood (in February) could inspire him. If he doesn't win one in 2016, it will be a disappointment for the world No. 2.

Novak Djokovic will win at least three of the big five events in 2016 (including the Olympics).

Bodo: True. Now that Djokovic has 10 majors, he'll be super motivated to catch Rafael Nadal's 14 and perhaps even Roger Federer's record 17. Time is on the 28-year-old Djokovic's side. Federer is 34. Nadal struggled through 2015 and didn't even make a major semifinal. Djokovic is 21-9 against his true generational rival, Murray, having prevailed in nine of their past 10 matches. And Djokovic is an overpowering 19-4 against two-time Slam winner Stan Wawrinka. Three of the big five events of 2016 will be on hard courts, including the Rio Olympics. Djokovic could win them all -- and more.

Garber: False. The past three times a man has won three of the four majors (Roger Federer in 2007, Rafael Nadal in 2010 and Djokovic in 2011), he followed that up by reaching three Grand Slam singles finals the following year -- and winning only one. The triple-Slam effort simply takes too much out of the body and mind. The Olympics make this one interesting; I can see a scenario in which Murray, Nadal and a surprise mystery guest (Milos Raonic, Kei Nishikori, Grigor Dimitrov?) win three of the five big titles.

Isaacson: False. I want to say true, merely because of how much he looked to want payback after reluctantly playing the evil role to Fed's good in September's US Open final. I also want to say yes because he was so dominant in 2015. But if the Open showed us anything, it's that even Djokovic can be vulnerable at times, and with the Olympics thrown in, it's tough to imagine he will have the mental and physical stamina to pull off three of the big five.

Rafael Nadal is more likely than Roger Federer to win a Grand Slam in 2016.

Bodo: False. No disrespect to Nadal who's been down on his luck, but in 2015, he left Federer all alone on the "Stop Djokovic" bandwagon. Throw in Nadal's nagging health issues, ranging over time from bad knees to a sore back to a bad elbow to a bad wrist, and it's obvious his two priorities for the new year will be finding -- and maintaining -- his vanished consistency and remaining healthy. Sure, he could win the French Open for a 10th time, but based on what we saw in 2015, he will have enough trouble doing that -- never mind any of the other majors.

Garber: True. It was terrific to see Federer get the finals at Wimbledon, the US Open and the Barclays in London. But at age 34, he just doesn't have the stuff to take down an in-form Djokovic. Rafa had some pep in his step in London, and even though he failed to win a major for the first time in 11 years, he will rebound with his 10th French Open title next spring.

Isaacson: True. This is not to say that either Rafa or Fed will win a Slam in 2016; I don't think they will. But Nadal may be slightly more likely, if only because as much as 2015 seemed to signal the beginning of the end, he is not looking presently like a man who wants to retire very soon. He reached the finals in Beijing and Basel, beat Wawrinka and Murray in the ATP Finals round-robin, and is much healthier than he has been recently. A Slam in '16 is not inconceivable.

Serena Williams will end 2016 as the world No. 1.

Bodo: True. Serena Williams is due for a big letdown after her spectacular 2015. So what? The rest of her WTA peers amply demonstrated that none of them has the chops, or the game, to step in and dominate. That means Serena could have an off year and still end up No. 1. Her most dangerous challenger at the moment appears to be No. 3 Garbine Muguruza. But it's not at all certain that the 22-year-old has the consistency to play at an elite level week in, week out.

Garber: True. At the moment, Serena is nearly 3,900 points ahead of the No. 2-ranked Simona Halep. Even if she takes a predictable step backward from her wondrous 2015 season, Serena has enough of a cushion to stay at No. 1.

Isaacson: True. Virtually every time we count her out, she surprises us, and as far away from tennis as she seems to be right now, Serena still has the capability to hold onto that ranking, if nothing else. She has plenty of points to defend next year, but she also has a huge head start on the rest of the pack.

Venus Williams will finish 2016 in the top 10.

Bodo: True. Venus Williams had a great 2015, finishing No. 7. Expect more of the same in 2016. She's 35, but that's not an overwhelming handicap in today's game. The grind is easier for her to bear as long as her sister Serena is around. The two love playing doubles together. And the Olympics mean a lot to both Williams sisters. That will motivate Venus in the early part of 2016 because staying in the top eight will guarantee her critical seeding advantages. Her health could be the determining factor in her status.

Garber: False. While it was great to see Venus go 41-13 this year, win three titles and $2.4 million, and finish at No. 7, there are a handful of far younger players lurking just behind her. Karolina Pliskova, Timea Bacsinszky, Carla Suarez Navarro, Belinda Bencic and Madison Keys would love to vault over Venus. Plus, Caroline Wozniacki -- outside the top 15 for the first time in eight years -- is due for a better season.

Isaacson: True. This is a tough one because Venus popped back into the top 10 in 2015 for the first time in four years. It was no fluke in a year made up mostly of bad draws -- she was in Serena's half in every major -- and Venus finished the year with two titles in the China swing, and her best overall season since 2007. Even with the Karolina Pliskovas and Timea Bacsinszkys of women's tennis bearing down on the top 10, there is room for a motivated Venus to hang in.

Johanna Konta Joins Andy Murray And David Lloyd In Criticizing LTA

After Andy Murray and David Lloyd made their controversial comments about the Lawn Tennis Association, Britain’s top female, Johanna Konta, also made comments about the governing of British tennis. The Brit said that the LTA’s cuts in funding put her career in jeopardy.

Konta’s Move To Britain

Konta is a 24-year-old who was born in Sydney, Australia to Hungarian parents. In 2005, she moved to the UK. After representing Australia, her birth country, from 2008-April 2012. From May 2012 on, the 24-year-old has represented Great Britain.

Konta’s Rise

This year, the Brit has hit new heights, jumping over 100 spots into the top 50. After focusing on Challenger events for the first half of the year, she began to hit her stride just after her home championships at Wimbledon. After an early exit to Maria Sharapova at the All England Club, she went on to win titles in Granby and Vancouver to put her inside the top 100 for the first time.

She used that momentum to carry her through US Open qualifying. Impressive wins over Louisa Chirico, ninth-seeded Garbiñe Muguruza, and 18th-seeded Andrea Petkovic setup a round of 16 showdown with fifth-seeded Petra Kvitova. She lost 5-7, 3-6, but her run gave her a new found confidence to compete with the world’s elite.

After qualifying for the event Wuhan, she upset Petkovic once again. then defeated former world number one Victoria Azarenka. and current world number two Simona Halep. Her run ended with a three set loss to Venus Williams in the quarterfinals. She would go through qualifying for one more event in Linz where she lost in her second main draw match to American Madison Brengle.

Konta’s Quotes

Here’s what Konta had to say about the LTA, "If anyone's livelihood, career or dreams are jeopardised, I don't think that is ever a healthy position to be in," she told BBC Sport.

Konta also talked about the lack of people on the court, which is something Andy Murray brought up when he talked about the LTA, "Recently I've seen a lot of young kids around," Konta said. "But there are times when I think it is too quiet for such a magnificent facility, and it would be nice to see these courts filled with more players."

Pregnant Kim Sears supports Andy Murray at Davis Cup

Kim Sears looked thrilled as she watched her husband Andy Murray storm to victory at the Davis Cup on Sunday. The mum-to-be cheered and punched the air after Andy helped Great Britain to reach the final at the tournament for the first time in 37 years.

It was the third day in a row that Kim had supported her husband at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow along with Andy's family and friends. The 28-year-old, who is around four and a half months pregnant with her first child, kept any hint of a baby bump concealed in a loose fitting blue shirt and jeans, and clutched on to a Union Jack flag to show her support.

Kim Sears supported Andy Murray at the Davis Cup

Kim is a loyal supporter throughout Andy's tennis career, and can often be seen in the crowd alongside his mum Judy Murray. The tennis player recently revealed that the secret to their happy long-term relationship is partly down to the fact that they often spend time apart due to his career.

"I've found spending a bit of time apart isn't actually a bad thing," Andy told The Sun. "If you spend two or three weeks apart and then get to see each other, you appreciate it more.

"You spend six months with each other, then every single day you start arguing about little things. We don't have to travel with each other every single week to make it work."

Andy Murray has reached the final of the Davis Cup

He added: "When she comes, it's nice. It's normally at the end of a three or four-week trip. It breaks it up a little bit."

Kim has recently been working on a passion project of her own, after it was revealed she is "helping" her pet dog Maggie to "write" her own book, due for release in June. The book, entitled How to Look After Your Human: A Dog's Guide, explores how pets can bond with their human friends.

Fred Perry’s Davis Cup example can help Andy Murray over ATP finals

Andy Murray will agonise for another week before declaring if he will play in the ATP World Tour Finals in London just before the Davis Cup final against Belgium, which it was confirmed on Wednesday will be held on clay in Ghent on 27-29 November.

He said after winning his three matches in the semi-final victory over Australia in Glasgow at the weekend that, because a new back injury has flared, four days would not be enough for him to switch from the hard court of the O2 Arena to clay, but he did not expect the announcement to create such a stir.

The ATP, sponsors and fans who have bought tickets in anticipation of his appearing were taken by surprise and he immediately spoke with his advisers to review his end-of-season schedule. The odds are he will play in London.

Murray’s reluctance to decide quickly reflects the weight of importance he attaches to helping Great Britain win the competition for the first time since 1936, when Fred Perry won the last of four consecutive Davis Cups before turning professional. However, if Murray were looking for inspiration to double up, he might profit from the first of those four cup triumphs in 1933 – which broke a drought of 21 years.

The demands on time were even greater then, given slower modes of travel – although the physicality was a deal less intense. Great Britain won four European Zone ties on clay and grass that summer, against Spain, Finland, Italy and Czechoslovakia, losing only two singles, then beat Australia (conveniently included in the European zone because of their geographical isolation) in the zonal final at Wimbledon.

As Jon Henderson relates in his biography, The Last Champion: The Life of Fred Perry, Great Britain’s esteem in 1933 was wretchedly low the Davis Cup team described by the Daily Express as, “that poor, despised back number of lawn tennis”. They would not remain so for long.

Great Britain beat the Americans and Perry, who still had fitness issues, drew on reserves built up as the most rigorous trainer in the game to drag himself to the line for the title decider against France just four days later. In the second singles he beat Henri Cochet, driving the famed Frenchman into the dirt over five sets, then collapsing in the dressing room.Only a week later, with Perry and Bunny Austin to the fore, they beat the acknowledged masters of the day, the United States, in the semi-final on the clay of Roland Garros. Perry travelled late, after treatment to a shoulder injury, and had his final fitness test by hitting with Dan Maskell 48 hours before the tie.

If the similarities are beginning to sound eerily similar, the story of triumph for Perry and Great Britain on the dreaded foreign clay ought to lift the Scot’s spirits.

The physicality, tempo and attention to detail in the game has changed markedly, perhaps, but the demands of going to Ghent’s Flanders Expo to play on a drop-in clay court in November are not that far removed from those that confronted Perry and his team-mates in 1933. They prevailed – and went on to help Great Britain rule for another four years.

Milos Raonic waylaid by wonky back, exits U.S. Open

NEW YORK —Milos Raonic fought a noticeable back injury through two rounds of the U.S. Open, but he couldn’t pull off a third escape.

Overcast skies on Friday brought some relief from the blistering heat that contributed to a record number of mid-match retirements through two rounds of the U.S. Open. Two women and 12 men had to stop their matches, the most notable of which was American Jack Sock, who cramped so severely that he held to be carried off the court on Thursday. He was leading two sets to one at the time, but a 32C temperature, coupled with stifling humidity, did him in. The previous record for retirements in a Grand Slam was 10; this tournament easily surpassed that with 10 days of play still remaining.The 24-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., again unable to serve with his usual ridiculous velocity, went down in straight sets to 18th-seeded Feliciano Lopez on Friday in New York. The Spaniard broke the 10th-seeded Canadian three times — and had a whopping 13 break chances, unheard of against Raonic — on the way to a 6-2, 7-6, 6-3 win. Raonic only averaged 190 kilometres per hour on his first serve, about 16 km/h off a typical pace for him, and won 71% of his first-serve points, against a career average about 10 points higher. He said after his second-round win in New York that the back issue, which has bothered him since last month and is unrelated to an earlier foot injury, comes and goes. It was apparent that it was back on Friday, with Raonic labouring and seeking treatment during the match.

Andy Murray, who won a five-set match against France’s Adrian Mannarino in which his opponent noticeably flagged in the heat, said one way to cut down on the number of retirements would be to give first-round money to players who earn their way into the tournament but are not at their best health coming into it.

“I think the player that’s earned the right to be there in the first place, you give them the first-round prize money and you avoid people walking on the court for a few games,” Murray said. “It’s a waste of time for everyone.”

In that scenario, a player with a nagging injury pockets the US$39,500 prize money, but their spot would go to a player who didn’t qualify, who would only make money if they got through to the second round.

But Roger Federer was far less interested in such solutions to the mid-match retirement. His prescription basically amounted to, “Suck it up, muffin.”

“What I don’t understand,” said the five-time champion in New York, “we’ve been here in North America for some time. It’s not like, all of a sudden, hot. I mean, it was more on the warmer side, but it’s not like impossible, to be quite honest.”

“I think everybody should be well-prepared,” Federer said. And: “I think other players should be so fit that heat shouldn’t really matter at that point.”

And here I thought the Swiss were supposed to be diplomatic.

***

Italy’s Sara Errani offered another possible explanation for why some players are not feeling their best: air conditioning.

“In Europe, there’s not this much air conditioning,” Errani said after her Thursday match, as reported by The Associated Press. “Too much back and forth with the temperature,” she said. “You go outside, it’s hot. You come inside, it’s cold. Every time.” A USTA spokesman told the AP that there had been some complaints about the locker rooms and interview rooms being too cold, but that both were kept around 21C.

***

One of the small joys of a major tennis event are the utterly random questions that pop up in post-match press conferences. Because access to players, for most of the 1,000 or so journalists in Flushing Meadows, is limited to these sessions, and many of them are already working on a certain angle to a story, they have to ask their out-of-nowhere question when they get the chance. So, when Andy Murray just finished a five-set triumph on Thursday, a match in which he dropped the first two sets before roaring back, here was the first question posed to him: “Why are you wearing adidas shoes?”

(The short answer: the shoes made by his sponsor, Under Armour, were fine for grass courts but not yet ready for hard courts.)

Later, after Federer complete a straight-sets win, the first question was, suitably, about how he is playing this year relatively to past years. The second question: “Would you vote for Marcelo Rios if you were a voter for the Hall of Fame?”

After saying that he really didn’t know what the criteria was, Federer said Rios, the 39-year-old Chilean who was briefly the top-ranked player in the world, “was one of my favourite players to watch, so I would vote yes.”

Andy Murray looks to vitamin C not tea and sympathy against Thomaz Bellucci

Andy Murray expects to have to deal with his head cold at least until the fourth round of the US Open – if he gets past the 30th seed, Thomaz Bellucci, on Saturday – and he is not looking for sympathy.

“The only thing I’ve taken is vitamin C,” he said after spluttering through five tough sets against Adrian Mannarino on Thursday night and wary of any banned substances lurking in other medications.

“The doctors that are here and part of the Tour can prescribe you stuff that’s fine but there’s no real cure. Hopefully it takes three or four days before it’s out of the system. That’s one of the things about being an athlete. It’s survival of the fittest. There’s not much you can take.”

He can take heart from another courageous fightback, the eighth time in his career he has won after losing the first two sets. Critics who say he played poorly in the first hour and a half are being a bit harsh – although he did make an unholy mess of surrendering the second set – because Mannarino hit a level suited to the occasion.

When lower-ranked players are thrown into big matches they invariably have the talent but not always the self-belief to express it for more than a few points here and there or the extra fitness or sheer determination, sometimes, to survive a serious examination of their tennis, especially over five sets. It is why they never make the breakthrough their early promise holds out for them.

It is why Richard Gasquet, rated as promising as Rafael Nadal when they were teenagers, probably will never win a major. It is why Murray and Novak Djokovic, contemporaries of both of those players, have done.

On Saturday, Murray faces another talented player in Bellucci, who began the year ranked 64 in the world, dipped as low as 87 in March and comes to New York on a steady rise to 30, only nine places adrift of his career best. So he represents danger, as James Ward discovered in the first round.

Murray has been around long enough to dismiss thoughts of an easy win, especially as he is struggling to shake off the cold virus that has hit the locker room. Plus, the conditions here are brutal.

When Jack Sock staggered to a halt with cramp while trying to serve at the start of the fourth set against the Belgian Ruben Bemelmans, then collapsed semi-conscious in front of shocked fans on Thursday afternoon, the physical demands of modern tennis were laid bare for all to see. He was the 13th player to quit the tournament through illness or injury, in only four days.

Sock, a strong young player ranked 28 in the world – who recovered fully after treatment – is as fit as most players on the Tour. Few are fitter than Murray – which is why he is confident of getting through his illness and past Bellucci.

“I didn’t drop that much weight in the match [against Mannarino],” he said. “Over the last few years I’ve got much better at knowing how much I need to drink in certain heat and conditions. I weigh myself before and after every single match. I didn’t drop loads of weight, which is a good thing.”

As for Bellucci, another left-hander, Murray said: “I played Bellucci once, in Madrid. We were at altitude there. He plays well on the clay but I think he plays even better at altitude. I don’t know if he grew up at altitude but he likes it when the conditions are pretty lively, like they are here. He’s obviously playing well.”

What impressed about Murray after surviving such a match that came close to pitching him out of the tournament was his upbeat, almost lighthearted, mood afterwards. Long gone are the post-match blues that dragged his spirit down to dangerously low levels; marriage and impending fatherhood have obviously brought him inner calm.

He was not even particularly riled when Mannarino slammed a full-force volley into his back. “When I got hit with the ball, I wasn’t angry,” he said. “That’s a legitimate play and it happens. I almost deserve that for the bad volley that gave him the chance to do that. When he hit the ball and it was pretty close to my head after the point had finished, I didn’t like that so much.”

Murray, who took unnecessary abuse for his support of Scottish independence earlier this year, has found a new cause, the World Wildlife Fund, and wears their badge on his shirt.

“It’s quite a nice thing to do, helping a charity. I love animals. I’ve spoken with Matt [Gentry, his business adviser] about doing stuff for charities. I care as much about animals as I do about human beings. Some people find that funny, I don’t find it funny. I just think that we’re all on this planet together and it’s horrible when you see what happens to some animals that are almost extinct. There was that story about Cecil the lion a few weeks ago. It’s horrible. Anything you can do to help. They don’t have a voice, human beings do. It’s nice to try to help with that.

“The thing with animals is you have to kind of accept things. I love my dogs. You can teach them to behave. But if they decide by themselves that they’re going to be naughty, you just have to accept that, whereas with people, it’s a lot easier to discipline them and tell them the difference between right and wrong.”

Warming to the subject – when most other players might have rushed for the late-night courtesy car back to a hotel – Murray shared a childhood episode that, well, read it for yourself …

“I grew up with animals. My family always had dogs. I had a couple of hamsters when I was a kid. The first one that I had was called Whisky. I lost him down the back of a sink. You know how in a house you would have just a sink in a bedroom? I wrapped a duvet round the back of the sink to stop the hamster from getting in there. I don’t know how it managed to get under the duvet.

“I used to just let it out and run around. It got behind the sink and went under the floorboards. I left a mousetrap, not one that would kill but one that would catch it if it came out of the floorboards. I woke up the next morning, the bit of cheese was gone, the mousetrap hadn’t worked. It had obviously got up there and got the food – and that was that.”

Andy Murray excited about impending fatherhood, but intends to keep it a private matter

MONTREAL – In the first public comments since word of his impending fatherhood leaked out, World No. 3 Andy Murray said he and wife Kim Sears were thrilled, and very lucky.

But he said he considered it a private matter, to be shared and enjoyed with family and friends, and hoped people would respect that.

Good luck, Andy; while the new baby won't generate the level of hysteria of a royal baby, Murray is such a big deal in the British press that it's entirely possible every bout of morning sickness will be duly and breathlessly reported upon.

And, of course, every loss will somehow come around to his being "distracted" about the new baby.

In the end, though, Murray is happy with the way his season is going, noting that while he won WImbledon in 2013, there were far too many peaks and valleys in his season – something he says he has improved upon with the help of coach Amélie Mauresmo.

Andy Murray baby: Tennis star’s dad jokes that he hopes grand-child inherits Kim’s good looks

THE Scottish tennis star's dad, Willie, told his son: "I hope the baby is born with Kim’s looks and your sporting prowess and not the other way round.”

ANDY MURRAY'S father has joked that he hopes his son’s new baby inherits his dad’s sporting abilities – but his mum’s looks.

Last week Andy and Kim, who married in April, told friends and family they are delighted at the prospect of becoming parents to their first child, with the baby is due in February.

The Scottish tennis star’s father Willie said: “It’s stunning news. I’m so happy for them.

“I congratulated them and told Andy, ‘I hope the baby is born with Kim’s looks and your sporting prowess and not the other way round.”

The announcement came after Kim, 27, visited hospital for a 12-week scan.

Willie, who split from Andy’s mum Judy when the tennis ace was just nine, added: “They let close family and some friends know after they were given the all-clear. I knew that they were trying to have a family and fairly soon, so this is terrific news and I’m so happy for them.

“Kim will make a great mum. She wanted a family and to have children. And Andy will be a great father. People who know Andy and are close to him know that he is a very caring and loving person and he’ll pass that on to his children.”

The 60-year-old also joked that he feels too young to be a grandfather – but insists he doesn't mind if has a grandson or a granddaughter.

He told Hello magazine: “Andy has certainly hinted he’d like to be a father. I think he’s ready for it now. I don’t mind whether the baby is a boy or a girl. They’ll just want a nice healthy baby and no complications.

“I had to say to Andy, ‘Surely there must be some mistake because I’m only 60, after all. I was thinking, ‘Will I have to stop playing five-a-side football and buy a pipe and slippers?”

Andy Murray’s impressive form not fuelled by off-court happiness

It is too easy to say the Scot’s success is due to impending parenthood and his settled life with Kim Sears – elite athletes have the ability to separate work from their personal lives

Andy Murray is going to be a father in February according to best estimates – which might inconvenience his participation in the Australian Open in January – and everybody is happy for Britain’s best player and his wife, Kim.

However, the rush this week to celebrate their impending parenthood by linking it unequivocally to Murray’s excellent form (since they married in April, he is 27-4, including a strategic walkover in Rome and a blip loss in Washington this week) is fuelled as much by sentiment as science.

It is an understandable urge. Everyone wants to see Mr Grumpy smiling and winning, but Mr Grumpy has shown us down the years he is capable of winning or losing whether he is grinning idiotically or swearing his head off.

This is a conundrum Murray has wrestled with for a long time and his revelation recently that he has been talking to a psychiatrist to better understand the workings of not just his own mind shows his concern.

There is no sensible reason to assume Murray is more or less likely to win a third grand slam title at the US Open next month because he is contemplating the joy of sleepless nights than there is to say that Roger Federer, proud father of two sets of twins, will continue to be the game’s éminence grise until his right arm drops off or he collapses in a 34-year-old heap at Flushing Meadows.

After all, the daddy of all tennis daddies has won four of his 17 majors since he married Mirka Vavrinec in April 2009, followed quickly by the arrival of their first twins: the Rafael Nadal-free French Open and Wimbledon that year, the Australian Open final in 2010 against Murray and the 2012 Wimbledon final, also against Murray.

Those are numbers that hardly diminish Federer’s achievements, but they lend them perspective. Was Federer a better player before he became a father? Perhaps, although it is difficult to say – but certainly he was younger.

What of the seemingly eternal Spanish bachelor Nadal? Will he or won’t he, at 29, add to his 14 slam titles if there is any substance to the rumour that he has finally asked Xisca Perello to marry him?

Tomas Berdych announced his engagement to Ester Satorova at the Australian Open this year (didn’t loyalKim give him her tuppence worth during Andy’s win over the Czech in the semi-finals?) and they married last month. It will be interesting to see how he finishes the season.

While it is clear Murray at 28 is playing with a smile on his face and has rediscovered the freedom of his youth, there is a better case to be made that this stems from a hard-headed decision to fine-tune his tennis, a strategic shift encouraged, as it happens, by Amélie Mauresmo, who is due to give birth any day.

If anything, Murray is a more aggressive ball-striker since Mauresmo’s arrival in his life in 2014 than he was in the two years he played under the guidance of the stridently macho Ivan Lendl. So there, at least, is some evidence that he responds as much to understated encouragement as he does to loud, male hailing.

The view that the only happy athlete is a married athlete is a societal judgment, not unlike the one this government would like to impose on unmarried parents or partners of inconvenient gender. As Murray said after losing to Djokovic in the Australian Open final this year, success is being happy. What he did not say is that happiness is being successful.

Take, for instance, Stan Wawrinka, who won his second major by winning the French Open this summer despite the weight of a publicly crumbling relationship with his wife and the apparent marital serenity of the man he beat, the ever-smiling Djokovic. He rose above his circumstances because, correctly or not, tennis defines him.

What is apparent from sporting history is special athletes are capable of compartmentalising their lives. They have the selfish gene, the one that blocks out all others. Muhammad Ali had some of his greatest wins while his personal life was in turmoil, as did Mike Tyson for a long time.

Still, it is stating the obvious to point out we are all different, even champions. Caroline Wozniacki said a couple of months ago of her split with Murray’s close golfing friend, Rory McIlroy, at the start of 2014, “I didn’t know how strong I was until that happened.”

Wozniacki struggled for more than a year then prospered again, pretty much to the limit of her abilities. McIlroy, meanwhile, established himself as the best in the world, Jordan Speith notwithstanding.

In sport, myth too often conquers fact, or at least wrestles with it. Don’t believe what you feel; believe what you see. And, even then, have another look. Otherwise the bookies will take you to the cleaners.

Andy Murray not concerned over impact baby will have on career

Andy Murray says he is not concerned about the impact the arrival of his first child will have on his career.

The 28-year-old world number three and wife Kim are expecting a baby,which is understood to be due in February.

"I'm more concerned about the baby being healthy," said Murray, who is in Montreal for this week's Rogers Cup.

"We're both extremely happy and feel very lucky. It's very exciting news, but it's also private news."

He added: "There's stuff we want to keep close to our friends and family and I hope that everybody can respect that."

Murray was speaking before the Rogers Cup, a Masters tournament where he has been given a bye to the second round.

The event in Canada will be Murray's second hard court competition in the run-up to the US Open and follows a surprise defeat by world number 53 Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili in the second round of the Washington Open last week.

"I feel OK, it always get a bit of time getting used to the hard courts," said Murray. "Not so much with the tennis, but it's a tough surface on the body after coming from clay and grass which are a little bit more forgiving."

Andy Murray

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other people of the same name, see Andrew Murray (disambiguation).

Andy Murray OBE

Murray at 2015 Australian Open
Full name	Andrew Barron Murray
Country (sports)	Great Britain
Residence	London, England, UK
Born	15 May 1987 (age 28)[1] Glasgow,[2] Scotland, UK[3][4]
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[5][6][7][8][9]
Turned pro	2005
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach(es)	Leon Smith (1998–2005) Mark Petchey (2005–2006) Brad Gilbert (2006–2007) Miles MacLagan (2007–2010) Àlex Corretja (2010–2011) Ivan Lendl (2011–2014) Amélie Mauresmo (2014–) Jonas Björkman (2015–)
Prize money	$ 38,925,950[10]  5th all-time leader in earnings
Official website	andymurray.com
Singles
Career record	529–158 (77%)[11]
Career titles	34
Highest ranking	No. 2 (17 August 2009)
Current ranking	No. 3 (3 August 2015)[11]
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	F (2010, 2011, 2013, 2015)
French Open	SF (2011, 2014, 2015)
Wimbledon	W (2013)
US Open	W (2012)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	SF (2008, 2010, 2012)
Olympic Games	Gold Medal (2012)
Doubles
Career record	59–62 (48.76%)
Career titles	2
Highest ranking	No. 51 (17 October 2011)
Current ranking	No. 284 (20 July 2015)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	1R (2006)
French Open	2R (2006)
Wimbledon	1R (2005)
US Open	2R (2008)
Other doubles tournaments
Olympic Games	2R (2008)
Mixed doubles
Career record	7–4
Career titles	0
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Wimbledon	2R (2006)
Other mixed doubles tournaments
Olympic Games	Silver Medal (2012)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	SF (2015)
Hopman Cup	F (2010)
Medal record[show]
Last updated on: 27 July 2015.

Andrew Barron Murray OBE (born 15 May 1987) is a Scottish professional tennis player, currently ranked World No. 3.^[10] He started playing tennis at the age of three, entered his first competitive tournament at age five and was playing league tennis by the time he was eight. He is known to be one of the most consistent players on the tour, having reached at least the quarter-finals of all Grand Slam Tournaments he has participated in since 2011.^[12] When he was 15 he moved to Barcelona to train at the Sánchez-Casal Academy. He won the junior US Open in 2004 and turned professional the following year. Murray has been ranked as British No. 1 since 27 February 2006. He achieved a top-10 ranking by the ATP for the first time on 16 April 2007, and reached a career peak of world No. 2 on 17 August 2009.

Murray defeated Roger Federer at the 2012 Olympic Games in straight sets to win the gold medal in the men's singles final, becoming the first British singles champion in over 100 years. He also won a silver medal in the mixed doubles, playing with Laura Robson. At the 2012 US Open, Murray became the first British player since 1977, and the first British man since 1936, to win aGrand Slam singles tournament, when he defeated Novak Djokovic in five sets. This title made him the only British male to become a Grand Slam singles champion during the Open Era. On 7 July 2013, Murray won the 2013 Wimbledon Championships, becoming the first British player to win a Wimbledon singles title since Virginia Wade in 1977, and the first British man to win the Men's Singles Championship since Fred Perry, 77 years previously (not counting Laura Robson's 2008 junior singles title). He again beat Djokovic in the final, this time in straight sets. Murray is the only man in history to have won Olympic Gold and the US Open in the same calendar year, as well as only the third man to hold the Gold Medal and two majors on different surfaces (after Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal). Subsequent to his success at the Olympics and Wimbledon, Murray was voted the 2013 BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

He has been the runner-up in six other singles Grand Slam finals: the 2008 US Open, the 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2015 Australian Open, and the 2012 Wimbledon Championships, losing three each to Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. He is the first man in the open era to achieve four runner-up finishes at the Australian Open, after losing to Djokovic in the final of the 2015 Australian Open. In 2011, Murray became only the seventh player in the Open Era to reach the semifinals of all four Grand Slam tournaments in one year.^[13] During the 2013 season he became the sixth man in tennis history to have won over $30 million in career prize money. After reaching the French Open semifinal in 2014 he became the tenth man to reach two or more semifinals at each of the four Majors.^[14]

Contents

  [hide] 

• 1 Early and personal life
• 2 Career
  • 2.1 Junior tennis
  • 2.2 2005–2007: Reaching the top 15
  • 2.3 2008: First major final and first Masters titles
  • 2.4 2009: Reaching world rank No. 2
  • 2.5 2010: Australian Open finalist and two Masters titles
  • 2.6 2011: Second Australian Open final and two Masters titles
  • 2.7 2012: US Open champion, Wimbledon runner-up and Olympic gold
  • 2.8 2013: Wimbledon champion and third Australian Open final
  • 2.9 2014: Recovery from surgery & 30th Career Title
  • 2.10 2015: Fourth Australian Open final and first clay court titles
• 3 Rivalries
  • 3.1 Murray vs. Djokovic
  • 3.2 Murray vs. Federer
  • 3.3 Murray vs. Nadal
• 4 Playing style
• 5 Endorsements and equipment
• 6 Charitable work
• 7 Image
  • 7.1 National identity
  • 7.2 Other
• 8 Career statistics
  • 8.1 Grand Slam tournament performance timeline
  • 8.2 Olympic Games
    • 8.2.1 Finals: 2 (1 gold medal, 1 silver medal)
      • 8.2.1.1 Singles: 1 (1–0)
      • 8.2.1.2 Mixed Doubles: 1 (0–1)
  • 8.3 Records
• 9 Awards and honours
• 10 See also
• 11 Notes
• 12 References
• 13 External links

Early and personal life[edit]

Murray was born to Judith (Erskine) and William Murray in Glasgow, Scotland.^[3] His maternal grandfather, Roy Erskine, was a professional footballer in the late 1950s.^[15] Murray's brother, Jamie, is also a professional tennis player, playing on the doubles circuit. Murray was born with a bipartite patella, where the kneecap remains as two separate bones instead of fusing together in early childhood,^[16] but was not diagnosed until the age of 16. He is seen frequently to hold his knee due to the pain caused by the condition and has pulled out of events because of it.^[17] Murray began playing tennis at the age of three when his mother Judy took him to play on the local courts.^[18] He played in his first competitive tournament at age five and by the time he was eight he was competing with adults in the Central District Tennis League.^[19]

Murray grew up in Dunblane and attended Dunblane Primary School. He and his brother were present during the 1996 Dunblane school massacre,^[20] when Thomas Hamilton killed 16 children and a teacher before shooting himself; Murray took cover in a classroom.^[21] Murray says he was too young to understand what was happening and is reluctant to talk about it in interviews, but in his autobiography "Hitting Back" he states that he attended a youth group run by Hamilton, and that his mother gave Hamilton lifts in her car.^[22] Murray later attendedDunblane High School.^[23][24]

Murray's parents split up when he was only 10.^[25] He believes the impact this had on him could be the reason behind his competitive spirit.^[26] At 15, he was asked to train withRangers Football Club at their School of Excellence, but declined, opting to focus on his tennis career instead.^[27] He then decided to move to Barcelona, Spain. There he studied at the Schiller International School and trained on the clay courts of the Sánchez-Casal Academy. Murray described this time as "a big sacrifice".^[24] His parents had to find £40,000 to pay for his 18-month stay there.^[25] While in Spain, he trained with Emilio Sánchez, formerly the world No. 1 doubles player.^[24]

In February 2013, Murray bought Cromlix House for £1.8 million which opened as a 15-room five-star hotel in April 2014.^[28] Later that month Murray was awarded Freedom of Stirling and became a Doctor of the University of Stirling in recognition of his services to tennis.^[29]

Murray began dating Kim Sears, daughter of player-turned-coach Nigel Sears, in 2005.^[30][31] Their engagement was announced in November 2014,^[31] and they married on 11 April 2015 at Dunblane Cathedral in his home town.^[32] Sears is a pet portraitist and a former pupil of Burgess Hill School.^[33]

Career[edit]

Andy Murray Singles Ranking History Chart 2003-2015

Junior tennis[edit]

Leon Smith, Murray's tennis coach from 11 to 17,^[34] described Murray as "unbelievably competitive", while Murray attributes his abilities to the motivation gained from losing to his older brother Jamie. At the age of 12, Murray won his age group at the Orange Bowl, a prestigious event for junior players.^[35]

In July 2003, Murray started out on the Challenger and Futures circuit. In his first tournament, he reached the quarterfinals of the Manchester challenger. In September, Murray won his first senior title by taking the Glasgow Futures event. He also reached the semi-finals of the Edinburgh Futures event.^[36] In July 2004 Murray played a Challenger event in Nottingham, where he lost to future Grand Slam finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the second round. Murray then went on to win events in Xàtiva and Rome.

In September 2004, he won the Junior US Open and was selected for the Davis Cup match against Austria later that month;^[37] however, he was not selected to play. Later that year, he won BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.^[38]

As a junior Murray reached as high as No. 6 in the world in 2003 (and No. 8 in doubles). In the 2004-instated combined rankings, Murray reached No. 2 in the world.^[39]

Junior Slam results:

Australian Open: -
French Open: SF (2005)
Wimbledon: 3R (2004)
US Open: W (2004)

2005–2007: Reaching the top 15[edit]

Murray began 2005 ranked 407 in the world^[40] and in March, he became the youngest Briton to play in the Davis Cup.^[41] Murray turned professional in April and was given a wild card entry to a clay-court tournament in Barcelona, the Open SEAT, where he lost in three sets to Jan Hernych.^[42] Murray then reached the semi-finals of the boys' French Open where he lost in straight sets to Marin Čilić.^[43] Given a wild card to Queen's,^[44] Murray progressed past Santiago Ventura in straight sets for his first ATP match win.^[45] After a second round win against Taylor Dent,^[46] he played former Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson in the third round, losing in three sets.^[47][48] Following his performance at Queen's, Murray received a wild card for Wimbledon. Ranked 312, Murray became the first Scot in the Open Era to reach the third round of the men's singles tournament at Wimbledon.^[49] In the third round, Murray lost to 2002 Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian having led by two sets to love.^[50]

Following Wimbledon, Murray won Challengers events on the hard courts of Aptos and Binghamton, New York. He then experienced his first Masters event at Cincinnati, where he beat Taylor Dent before losing in three sets to world No. 4 Marat Safin. With a wild card entry Murray played Andrei Pavel in the opening round of the US Open where he recovered from being down two sets to one to win his first five-set match.^[51] He lost in the second round to Arnaud Clément in another five set contest.^[52] Murray was again selected for the Davis Cup match against Switzerland. He was picked for the opening singles rubbers, losing in straight sets to Stanislas Wawrinka.^[53] Murray then made his first ATP final at the Thailand Open where he faced world No. 1 Roger Federer. Murray lost in straight sets.^[54] He completed the year ranked 64 and was named the 2005 BBC Scotland Sports Personality of the Year.^[55]

The 2006 season saw Murray compete on the full circuit for the first time and split with his coach Mark Petchey^[56] and team up with Brad Gilbert.^[57] Murray suffered a straight sets defeat at the Australian Open, to Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela in the first round^[58] and to Gaël Monfils at the French Open, in five sets.^[59] Murray however reached the fourth round for the first time at both Wimbledon and the US Open.^[60][61] Murray played in Davis Cup ties against Serbia, Israel and Ukraine. Murray missed the opening singles matches before losing the doubles as Britain lost their tie against Serbia.^[62] During the tie with Israel, Murray won his rubber and lost the doubles before pulling out with a neck injury before the reverse singles.^[63][64][65] Against the Ukraine, Murray won both his singles rubbers, but lost the doubles, as Britain won the tie.^[66][67][68] At the Masters, Murray lost in the first round in Miami,^[69] Monte Carlo and Rome.^[70][71] Murray went out of the tournaments in Indian Wells and Hamburg in the second round.^[72][73] Murray reached his first Masters semifinal in Toronto at the Rogers Cup losing to Richard Gasquet.^[74]

In Cincinnati Murray became only one of two players, alongside Rafael Nadal, to defeat Roger Federer in 2006, breaking the Swiss star's 55 match winning streak on hard courts.^[75] He lost two rounds later to Andy Roddick, but broke into the top 20 for the first time.^[76][77] In the final two Masters events in Madrid and Paris, Murray exited both tournaments at the last-16 stage ending his season, with losses to Novak Djokovic and Dominik Hrbatý.^[78][79] When the tour reached San Jose, California; Murray defeated a top ten player for the first time in the shape of Andy Roddick.^[80] Murray went on to claim the SAP Open title defeating world No. 11 Lleyton Hewitt.^[81] Murray was also a finalist at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic.^[82] Playing doubles with his brother in Bangkok the pair reached the final.^[83] After the French Open, where Murray was injured again, he revealed that his bones hadn't fully grown, causing him to suffer from cramps and back problems.^[84]

Murray on his way to becoming a finalist at the US Open

In November of the 2007 season Murray split with his coach Brad Gilbert and added a team of experts along with Miles Maclagan, his main coach.^[85] Murray reached the fourth round of the Australian Open where he lost a five-set match against world No. 2 Rafael Nadal.^[86] Murray however suffered a third round loss at the US Open. At the Masters tournaments Murray reached the semifinals of Indian Wells and Miami. At Rome and Cincinnati Murray exited in the first round whilst going out in the second in Canada. In the final two masters tournaments Murray exited in the third round in Madrid and he went out in the quarter finals of Paris. In his first match in Hamburg, Murray was up 5–1 when he hit a forehand from the back of the court and snapped the tendons in his wrist. Murray won titles in San Jose and St. Petersburg.^[87] He also reached the final of tournaments in Doha and Metz finishing ranked 11th in the world.

2008: First major final and first Masters titles[edit]

In 2008, Murray suffered a first round loss at the Australian Open to eventual runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and a third round loss at the French Open to Nicolás Almagro.^[88] Murray then made his first Grand Slam quarter final at Wimbledon before making his first final at the US Open. During the tournament in New York, Murray claimed his first win over Nadal. That victory meant that he'd become the first player from Britain since Greg Rusedski in 1997 to reach a major final.^[89] In his first Grand Slam final Murray suffered a straight sets loss to Federer.^[90][91] At the Beijing Olympics, Murray suffered one of the worst defeats of his career, losing his first round singles match to world No. 77 Yen-hsun Lu of Taiwan in straight sets. That abject defeat was still on his mind in a BBC interview five years later – despite an intervening Olympic gold medal and a head-to-head win – when he met the same player (now ranked 75 in the world) in the 2nd round of Wimbledon 2013.^[92]

In the Masters tournaments Murray went out in round four in Indian Wells and the first round of Miami. In the clay Masters Murray made the third round of Monte Carlo and Hamburg and the second of Rome. On the American hard court swing Murray made the semi finals of Toronto before winning his first Masters shield in Cincinnati. He added another shield to his collection in Madrid;^[93] before losing in the quarter finals of Paris. Now at No. 4 in the world, Murray qualified for the first time for the Masters Cup. He played well in defeating an injured Federer^[94] but lost to Davydenko in the semi-finals.^[95] Murray ended 2008 ranked fourth in the world. Murray also won tournaments in Doha, Marseille and St Petersburg.

2009: Reaching world rank No. 2[edit]

Murray made the quarter-finals of the 2009 French Open

Murray opened the 2009 season with a successful defence of his title at the Qatar Open in Doha, defeating Andy Roddick in straight sets.^[96] At the Australian Open, Murray made it to the fourth round, losing to Fernando Verdasco.^[97] Murray won his eleventh career title inRotterdam, defeating No. 1, Nadal in the three sets.^[98] Murray next went to Dubai but withdrew before the quarterfinals with a re-occurrence of a virus that had affected him at the Australian Open.^[99] The virus caused Murray to miss a Davis Cup tie in Glasgow. Murray then lost in the finals to Nadal at Indian Wells,^[100] but won a week later in Miami over Novak Djokovic for another masters title.

In the lead-up to the French Open, Murray lost to Nadal in the semis at the Monte Carlo Masters, he was upset in round two of the Rome Masters by qualifier Juan Mónaco, and he reached the quarterfinals of the Madrid Masters, losing to Del Potro. During this time Murray achieved the highest ever ranking of a British male in the Open Era when he became world No. 3 on 11 May 2009.^[101] Murray reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 French Open, but was defeated by Fernando González in four sets.

Murray won for the first time on grass at Queen's and became the first British winner of the tournament since 1938. In the final Murray defeated American James Blake.^[102] At Wimbledon, against Stanislas Wawrinka, Murray's fourth round match was the first match to be played entirely under Wimbledon's retractable roof, also enabling it to be the latest finishing match ever at Wimbledon.^[103] However Murray lost a tight semifinal to Andy Roddick.

Murray returned to action in Montreal, defeating del Potro in three sets to take the title.^[104] After this victory, he overtook Nadal in the rankings and held the number two position until the start of the US Open.^[105] Murray followed the Masters win playing at the Cincinnati Masters, where he lost to Federer. At the US Open, Murray was hampered by a wrist injury and suffered a straight-sets loss to Čilić.^[106] Murray won both his singles matches, and lost at doubles in the Davis Cup against Poland, but was then forced to miss six weeks with a wrist injury.^[107]

In November, Murray won at Valencia,^[108] but bowed out in round two of the Paris Masters. To end the season, Murray did not make it out of the round robin at the World Tour Finals in London.^[109]

I can cry like Roger, it's a shame I can't play like him.

“

”

Andy Murray during his runner's up speech at the 2010 Australian Open.^[110]

2010: Australian Open finalist and two Masters titles[edit]

Murray and Laura Robson represented Britain at the Hopman Cup. The pair progressed to the final, where they were beaten by Spain.^[111] At the Australian Open Murray beat Nadal and Cilic before losing in the final to world No. 1 Roger Federer.^[112] At the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Murray reached the quarterfinals, losing to Robin Söderling in straight sets. Murray next played at the2010 Sony Ericsson Open, but lost his first match of the tournament, afterwards saying that his mind hadn't been fully on tennis.^[113] At Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters Murray suffered another first match loss, this time to Philipp Kohlschreiber. He also entered the doubles competition with Ross Hutchins but lost to the Bryan Brothers on a champions tie-breaker. Murray reached the third round in the Rome Masters, and the quarterfinals at the Madrid Masters, losing both times to David Ferrer.

Murray reached his second Grand Slam Final in Australia.

After playing an exhibition match Murray started the French Open with three tough wins before losing in straight sets to Tomáš Berdych in the fourth round^[114] In London Murray progressed to the third round, where he faced Mardy Fish. At 3–3 in the final set with momentum going Murray's way (Murray had just come back from 3–0 down), the match was called off for bad light, leaving Murray fuming. Coming back the next day, Murray was edged out by the eventual finalist in a tie-breaker for his second defeat by him in the year.^[115][116] At Wimbledon Murray progressed to the semi-finals, losing to Rafael Nadal in straight sets.^[117] On 27 July 2010, Andy Murray and his coach Maclagan split, and Murray replaced him with Àlex Corretja.^[118]

Starting the US hard-court season with the 2010 Farmers Classic, Murray reached the final but lost against Sam Querrey in three sets. This was his first loss to Querrey in five career meetings.^[119] In Canada, Murray became the first player since Andre Agassi in 1995 to defend the Canadian Masters. Murray defeated Nadal and then Federer in straight sets, ending his eight-month title drought.^[120] At theCincinnati Masters, Murray first complained about the speed of the court,^[121] and then in a quarterfinal match with Fish, Murray complained that the organisers refused to put the match on later in the day^[122] With temperatures reaching 33 °C in the shade, Murray won the first set in a tie-breaker but began to feel ill. The doctor was called on court to actively cool Murray down. Murray admitted after the match that he had considered retiring. He lost the second set, but forced a final-set tie-breaker, before Fish won.^[123] After losing to Stanislas Wawrinka in the third round of the US Open, questions about Murray's conditioning arose, as he called the trainer out twice during the match.^[124]

His next event was the China Open in Beijing, where Murray reached the quarterfinals, losing to Ivan Ljubičić.^[125] Murray then won the Shanghai Rolex Masters dismissing Roger Federer in straight sets.^[126] He did not drop a single set throughout the event. Murray returned to Spain to defend his title at the Valencia Open 500 but lost in the second round to Juan Mónaco.^[127] However, in doubles, Murray partnered his brother Jamie Murray to the final, where they defeated Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi. The victory was Murray's first doubles title and the second time he had reached a final with his brother.^[128]

Murray reached the quarter finals at the BNP Paribas Masters losing to Gaël Monfils in three sets. Combined with his exit and Söderling's taking the title, Murray found himself pushed down a spot in the rankings, to No. 5 from No. 4.^[129] At the Tour finals in London, Murray went 2–1 in round robin play before facing Nadal in the semifinal. They battled for over three hours, before Murray fell to the Spaniard in a final-set tie-breaker, bringing an end to his season.^[130]

2011: Second Australian Open final and two Masters titles[edit]

Murray and fellow Brit Laura Robson lost in the round-robin stage 2011 Hopman Cup, losing all three ties even though Murray won all of his singles matches. Then Murray, along with other stars such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, participated in the Rally for Relief event to help raise money for the flood victims in Queensland.^[131]

Andy with his brotherJamie (left) at the 2011 Japan Open

Seeded fifth in the 2011 Australian Open, Murray met former champion Novak Djokovic in the final and was defeated in straight sets. InRotterdam, he was defeated by Marcos Baghdatis in the first round.^[132] Murray reached the semifinals of the doubles tournament with his brother Jamie. Murray lost to qualifiers in the first rounds at the Masters Series events in Indian Wells and Miami, after which he split with coach Àlex Corretja.^[133]

Murray returned to form at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, but lost to Nadal in the semifinals.^[134] Murray sustained an elbow injury before the match and subsequently withdrew from the 2011 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell due to the injury.^[135] Murray lost in the third round at the Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, but made it to the semifinals of the Rome Masters, where he lost to Novak Djokovic.^[136] At the French Open, Murray won two tough early matches, before losing in his first semifinal at Roland Garros, against Rafael Nadal.^{[137][138][139]}

Murray defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win his second Queen's Club title.^[140] At Wimbledon, Murray lost in the semifinal to Nadal, despite taking the first set.^[141] At the Davis Cup tie between Great Britain and Luxembourg, Murray led the British team to victory.^[142] Murray was the two-time defending 2011 Rogers Cup champion, but lost in the second round to South African Kevin Anderson.^[143] However, the following week, he won the 2011 Western & Southern Open, beating Novak Djokovic, after Djokovic retired due to injury.^[144] At the 2011 US Open, Murray battled from two sets down to win a five-set second-round encounter with Robin Haase, but lost in the semifinals to Rafael Nadal in four sets.

Murray easily won the small 250-class Thailand Open, and the following week he won his third title in four tournaments at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships. His opponent in the final was Rafael Nadal, whom he beat for the first time in the year in three sets. Murray then won the doubles with his brother Jamie Murray, becoming the first person in the 2011 season to capture both singles and doubles titles at the same tournament. Murray then successfully defended his Shanghai Masters crown with a straight-sets victory over David Ferrer in the final. At the ATP World Tour Finals, Murray lost to David Ferrer in straight sets and withdrew from the tournament after the loss with a groin pull. Murray ended the year as No. 4 in the world behind Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer.

2012: US Open champion, Wimbledon runner-up and Olympic gold[edit]

Main article: 2012 Andy Murray tennis season

With Ivan Lendl as his new full-time coach,^[145] Murray began the season by playing in the 2012 Brisbane International. He overcame a slow start in his first two matches to win his 22nd title by beating Alexandr Dolgopolov in the final.^[146] In doubles, he lost in the quarterfinals against second seeds Jürgen Melzer and Philipp Petzschner in a tight match.^[147] After an exhibition tournament,^[148] Murray made it to the semifinals of the 2012 Australian Open, where he was defeated by Djokovic in a four-hour-and 50-minute match.^[149]

Murray's victory signature at the Olympics where he won the gold medal.

At the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Murray defeated Djokovic in the semifinals, but lost in the final to Roger Federer.^[150] After an early defeat at the BNP Paribas Open, Murray made the finals of the Miami Masters, losing to Djokovic.^[151] Murray then had quarterfinal losses at the Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open, and a third round loss at the Italian Open.^[151] Murray battled back spasms all through the French Open, and in the quarterfinals he was beaten by David Ferrer.^[152]

Murray lost in the opening round of the Queen's Club Championships to world No. 65 Nicolas Mahut.^[153] At Wimbledon, Murray set the record for the latest finish at the championships when he completed a four-set victory over Marcos Baghdatis at 23:02 BST.^[154] Murray beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinal in four sets to become the first male British player to reach the final of Wimbledon since Bunny Austin in 1938.^[155] In the final, he faced Federer, but after taking the first set, he lost the match in four sets.^[156]

Murray next competed at the London 2012 Summer Olympics in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. He partnered his brother Jamie Murray in doubles and suffered a first-round exit to Austria (Jürgen Melzer and Alexander Peya) in three sets.^[157] In the mixed doubles, Murray was partnered by Laura Robson. They made it all the way to the finals where they lost to the Belarusian top seeds (Victoria Azarenka and Max Mirnyi) in three sets, settling for the silver medal. In singles, Murray lost only one set and 39 games on his way to the finals where he met Federer, defeating him in straight sets, for the loss of just 7 games.^[151] By winning the Olympic gold medal, Murray became the first British man to win the Olympic singles gold medal in tennis since Josiah Ritchie in 1908, and only the 7th man in the open era to win two medals at the same Olympic Games.^[158]

Murray retired early in the Rogers Cup due to a knee injury, and was beaten by unseeded Jérémy Chardy at the Cincinnati Masters in straight sets. He next competed in the final major of the season at the US Open. He cruised through his opening two rounds in straight sets against Alex Bogomolov and Ivan Dodig, before facing a tough four-set battle withFeliciano López, where Murray had to win three tie-breakers. In the fourth round, he defeated the Canadian Milos Raonic in straight sets, and then in the quarterfinals, had to come from a set and two breaks down against Marin Čilić to prevail in four. In the semifinals, he defeated Tomáš Berdych in a long-fought match that lasted almost four hours, to reach his second consecutive Grand Slam final. Murray defeated Djokovic in five sets, becoming the first British man to win a Grand Slam final since Fred Perry in 1936^[159] and the first Scottish-born player to win a Grand Slam final since Harold Mahony in 1896.^[160] The win would also set several records for Murray: it involved the longest tiebreak in US Open final history at 12–10 in the first set, it made Murray the first man ever to win an Olympic gold medal and the US Open in the same year, and it tied with the 1988 US Open final (in which Murray's coach Lendl competed) as the longest final in the tournament's history.^[161] By defeating Djokovic in the final, Murray achieved his 100th Grand Slam match win of his career. The victory made Murray part of the "Big Four" according to many pundits, including Novak Djokovic.^[162][163]

Andy Murray with coach Ivan Lendl

In his first tournament after the US Open, Murray reached the semifinals of the Rakuten Japan Open after entering as defending champion. He was beaten by Milos Raonic in a close three-set match. He was also defending champion in the doubles with his brotherJamie. However, they were knocked out in the quarterfinals by top seeds Leander Paes and Radek Štěpánek. At the penultimate Masters 1000 tournament of the year in Shanghai, after receiving a bye into round two, Murray's first match was due to be played against Florian Mayer. However, Mayer had to pull out due to injury, giving Murray a walkover into round three. After beating Alexandr Dolgopolov in the third round, he then overcame Radek Štěpánek in a three-set quarterfinal. Murray next faced Roger Federer in the semifinals, whom he defeated in straight sets to set up a second consecutive final against Novak Djokovic, and his third consecutive Shanghai final. After failing to capitalise on five match points, Murray eventually lost in three sets, bringing to an end his 12–0 winning streak at the competition.

When Rafael Nadal pulled out of both the Paris Masters and the Year-End Championships,^[164] Murray finished the year at No. 3 in the world, after four years at No. 4. This was the first time Murray had finished the year higher than No. 4 in the world. At the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Murray found himself voted third overall, ahead of Mo Farah.^[165] Murray won the World Breakthrough of the Year at the Laureus World Sports Awards.^[166]

Murray was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to tennis.^{[167][168][169]}

2013: Wimbledon champion and third Australian Open final[edit]

Main article: 2013 Andy Murray tennis season

"I'd like to dedicate this victory to one of my best friends. He's back home watching – you're going to get through it."

Murray dedicated his Brisbane International win to Ross Hutchins.^[170][171]

Murray began his 2013 season by retaining his Brisbane International title, defeating Grigor Dimitrov in the final in straight sets.^[170]Trying to win his second Major in a row, he began the 2013 Australian Open well with a straight sets victory over Dutchman Robin Haase. He followed this up with straight set victories over João Sousa, practice partner Ričardas Berankis and French No. 14 seedGilles Simon. In the quarterfinals he cruised past Jérémy Chardy in straight sets to set up a semi final clash with Roger Federer. After exchanging sets, Murray eventually prevailed in 5 sets, recording his first Grand Slam tournament triumph over Federer. With this victory, each member of the ATP's most dominant quartet of the previous four years (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray) had beaten the other three at the Majors.^[172] This victory set up Murray's third consecutive Major final appearance, and second in a row againstNovak Djokovic. After taking the first set in a tiebreak, Murray was eventually defeated in four sets.^[173] His defeat in this final meant that Murray became only the second man in the Open Era to achieve three runner-up finishes at the Australian Open, the other being Stefan Edberg.

At the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Murray lost at the quarter-final stage to Juan Martín del Potro in three sets.^[174] At the Miami Masters, Murray made it through his first four matches without dropping a set, and after overcoming Richard Gasquet in the semifinals, faced David Ferrer in the final. After losing the first set, and facing match point in the decider at 5–6, Murray eventually took the match in a third set tiebreaker to win his second Miami Masters title, and leapfrog Roger Federer into second place in the rankings, ending a near-decade long time period in which neither Federer or Rafael Nadal were ranked in the top two.^[175] Murray briefly fell back to number 3 in the world, following a third round defeat by Stanislas Wawrinka in Monte-Carlo, but reclaimed the number 2 ranking as a result of Federer failing to defend his title at the Mutua Madrid Open. Later, Murray lost at the quarter-final stage to Tomáš Berdych in straight sets.^[176] On 15 May 2013 at the Rome Masters, Murray retired due to a hip injury during his second round match against Marcel Granollers on his 26th birthday. Murray had just battled back to tie the match at one set all after winning the second set on a tiebreak. This left Murray with only eleven days to be fit for the start of the French Open.^[177]

Speaking at a press conference after the match, Murray said, "As it is, I'd be very surprised if I was playing in Paris. I need to make a plan as to what I do. I'll chat with the guys tonight and make a plan for the next few days then make a decision on Paris after the next five days."^[178] He would go on to withdraw from Roland Garros later, citing a back injury.^[179] After a four-week break due to injury, Murray made his comeback at the 2013 Aegon Championships, where he was the top seed. After a rain delayed first day, Murray had to complete his second round match against Nicolas Mahut, and his subsequent match against Marinko Matosevic on the same day, both of which he won in straight sets. After beating Benjamin Becker in the quarterfinals, Murray next faced his first top ten opponent since losing to Tomas Berdych in Madrid, taking on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinals. After dropping the first set against the Frenchman, Murray eventually raised his level and won in three to set up a final against Marin Čilić of Croatia, his third consecutive final on grass courts. He came from behind again to beat Čilić in three sets to claim his third title at Queen's Club.^[180]

Going into Wimbledon, Murray hadn't lost a match on grass since the previous year's final, and was on a winning streak of 11 matches on grass. In the first two rounds, Murray faced Benjamin Becker^[181] and Yen-hsun Lu^[182] respectively, defeating both in straight sets. His third round match was against 32nd seed Tommy Robredo, and despite a tour comeback over the past year, Murray overcame the Spaniard in straight sets to set up a clash with Mikhail Youzhny, the highest seed left in Murray's half following the unexpectedly early exits of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.^[183] Despite facing a fightback in the second set, Murray won in straight sets to make it through to his tenth consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal,^[184] in which he was to play Fernando Verdasco, the first left-handed player Murray had faced since the 2012 US Open. For the seventh time in his career, Murray had to come back from a deficit of two sets to ultimately come through in five,^[185] setting up a semifinal clash with 24th seed Jerzy Janowicz, the Polish player who beat Murray in their previous encounter. After Murray failed to break Janowicz's serve, the Pole took the opening set in the tiebreak, following a double fault from Murray. However Murray managed to up his level of play, and won the next three sets, making it through to his second consecutive Wimbledon final, and third consecutive major final against Novak Djokovic.^[186]

Murray holds the Wimbledon trophy following his victory in the 2013 men's final.

Despite the Serb being the favourite to win the title throughout the Championships, Murray overcame Djokovic in a straight sets match that lasted over three hours, to become the first British winner of the men's singles title since Fred Perry in 1936, the first Scot of either sex to win a Wimbledon singles title since Harold Mahoney in 1896, and to extend his winning streak on grass to 18 matches.^[187] With the win, he also became only the second man in the open era after Rafael Nadal to hold the Olympic singles gold medal and Wimbledon title simultaneously.

At the US Open, Murray entered a Grand Slam tournament as defending champion for the first time, and started strongly with a straight sets win against Michael Llodra. He backed this up with wins over Leonardo Mayer, Florian Mayer and Denis Istomin to reach the quarterfinals at a major for the 11th straight tournament. In the last 8, Murray faced Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland, but lost in straight sets, ending Murray's streak of four consecutive major finals.^[188] Following his disappointing run of form on hard courts, Murray next joined the Great Britain Davis Cup team in their World Group Play-off tie on clay against Croatia, where he played in two singles and the doubles rubbers. After defeating 16-year-old Borna Ćorić in straight sets, Murray teamed up with Colin Fleming to defeat Croatian number 1 Ivan Dodig and Mate Pavić in the doubles, and take a 2–1 lead in the tie. Murray then sealed Britain's return to the World Group by defeating Dodig in straight sets.

Following the Davis Cup, Murray's season was cut short by his decision to undergo surgery, in order to sort out the lower back problems that had caused him problems since the early stages of the previous season. After being forced to withdraw from the French Open in May, the injury flared up again during the US Open and later during the Davis Cup World Group Play-offs, Murray made the decision that surgery was the best way to sort the problem out for the long-term.^[189] Following the conclusion of the 2013 season, Murray was voted the 2013 BBC Sport Personality of the Year, after having been heavy favourite since the nominees were announced.^[190]

2014: Recovery from surgery & 30th Career Title[edit]

Main article: 2014 Andy Murray tennis season

Murray started his season at the Qatar Open in Doha. In the first round, he defeated Mousa Shanan Zayed in straight sets in 37 minutes without dropping a single game, but was defeated in three sets by world number 40 Florian Mayer in the second round, despite being a set and a break up three games into the second set.^[191] He then played a warm-up match at the 2014 AAMI Classic in Kooyong against world No. 43 Lleyton Hewitt, losing in two close tiebreaks. Murray next headed to Melbourne for the 2014 Australian Open, where he drew world number 112 Go Soedaof Japan. Despite worries that he was not match-fit, Murray got off to a strong start, dispatching the Japanese number 2 in under 90 minutes, losing just 5 games in the process. He next went on to defeat Vincent Millot and Feliciano Lopez respectively in straight sets. In the fourth round, Murray dropped his first set of the tournament on his way to beating Stephane Robert in four sets to set up a meeting with long-standing rival Roger Federer in the quarterfinals. Despite saving two match points to take the third set, he ultimately went out in four, ending his streak of four consecutive Australian Open semifinals.^[192] As a result of losing before the final, Murray fell to number 6 in the world, falling out of the top 5 for the first time since 2008.

He next headed to the United States to compete in the Davis Cup first round with Great Britain, who went into the tie as outsiders. Murray won both of his ties against Donald Young and Sam Querrey respectively, helping Britain to their first Davis Cup quarterfinal since 1986.^[193] Murray's next tournament was the Rotterdam Open after receiving a late wild card, however he lost to Marin Cilic in straight sets in the quarterfinals. His following competition, the Mexican Open in Acapulco, ended in a semifinal defeat by Grigor Dimitrov in a thrilling three sets that required two tiebreakers to decide the final two sets. At Indian Wells, Murray struggled in his first two matches against Lukáš Rosol and Jiří Veselý respectively, overcoming both in close three-set encounters to set up a fourth round clash with Canadian Milos Raonic, which he lost in three sets. In March, Murray split with coach Ivan Lendl, who had been widely praised for helping Murray achieve his goal of winning Grand Slam titles.^[194] At the 2014 Miami Masters, Murray defeated Matthew Ebden, Feliciano Lopez and Jo Wilfried Tsonga but lost to Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. In the Davis Cup quarterfinals against Italy, he beat Andreas Seppi in his first rubber, then teamed up with Colin Fleming to win the doubles rubber, but in his final singles match, was stunned by Fabio Fognini in straight sets, which took Great Britain to the deciding final rubber. However, in this match his compatriot, James Ward was defeated by Andreas Seppi, also in straight sets, knocking Murray and Great Britain out of the Davis Cup.

Murray next competed at the Madrid Open and following his opening win, over Nicolas Almagro, he dedicated the victory to former player Elena Baltacha.^[195][196] He then lost to qualifier Santiago Giraldo in the following round. Murray then reached the quarter-finals of the Rome Masters where he lost to world number one Rafael Nadal in a tight match in which he had been up a break in the final set.^[197] At the French Open, Murray defeated Andrey Golubev and Marinko Matosevic before edging out 28th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber 12–10 in the final set. This was the first time Murray had ever gone beyond 7–5 in a deciding set.^[198] He followed this up with a straight sets win over Fernando Verdasco and then recorded a five set victory over Frenchman Gaël Monfils in the quarter-final, which saw Murray rise to world No. 5 and equal his best ever French Open by reaching the semi-finals. However, he subsequently lost to Rafael Nadal in straight sets, winning only 6 games in the match.^[199] After losing the 2014 French Open semi-finals to Nadal, Murray appointed former women's world number one, and two-times slam titlist, Amelie Mauresmo as his coach^[200] in a 'historic move' which made Mauresmo the first woman to coach a top male tennis player.^[201]

After strong grass court seasons in 2012 and 2013, Murray was seeded third for the 2014 Wimbledon Championship, behind Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, who were seeded first and second respectively.^[202] He began his title defence with straight sets wins over David Goffin^[203] and Blaž Rola, defeating the latter for the loss of just two games.^[204]Murray continued his good form, defeating Roberto Bautista Agut^[205] and Kevin Anderson,^[206] the 27th and 20th seeds, again in straight sets to reach his seventh consecutive Wimbledon quarterfinal. Murray's defence then came to a halt as Grigor Dimitrov ended his 17 match winning-streak on the grass of Wimbledon (this includes the 2012 Olympics) with a straight sets win, meaning Murray failed to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2008.^[207] After his defeat at the Championships, Murray dropped to 10th in the world, his lowest ranking since 2008.^[208]

Prior to the North American hard court swing, Murray announced he was extending his partnership with Amélie Mauresmo until the end of the US Open, but was ideally looking for a long-term deal.^[209] He also revealed he had only just returned to a full training schedule following his back surgery last September.^[210] Murray reached back-to-back quarter-finals at the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Masters, losing to eventual champions Jo Wilfried Tsonga,^[211] after being a break up in the decider,^[212] and Roger Federer, after being two breaks up in the second set, respectively.^[213] He then made it to the quarterfinals of the 2014 US Open, losing to Novak Djokovic, after earning his first top ten win of the year in the previous round against Jo Wilfried Tsonga.^[214] This was the first season since 2009 where Murray failed to reach a grand slam final. As a consequence Murray fell outside of the top 10 ranking places for the first time since June 2008.^[215]

Murray took a wildcard into the inaugural Shenzhen Open in China, entering as the number 2 seed. Victories over Somdev Devvarman, Lukáš Lacko and Juan Mónaco saw Murray reach his first final of the season, breaking a drought of 14 months following his title at Wimbledon. In the final he faced Tommy Robredo of Spain, the second final between the two. After saving five championship points in the second set tie break, Murray went on to win the title in three sets, Robredo's drop in fitness ultimately proving decisive.^[216] He then took his good form into Beijing, where he reached the semifinals before losing to Djokovic in straight sets,^[217] however he lost in the third round at theShanghai Masters to David Ferrer despite being a set up.^[218] Following his early exit in Shanghai, Murray took a wildcard into the Vienna Open in an attempt to claim a place at the ATP World Tour Finals. He reached the final, where he once again faced Ferrer, and triumphed in three sets for his second title of the season, and the 30th of his career.^[219]Murray defeated Ferrer again in the semi-finals of the Valencia Open to move into his third final in five weeks, and further strengthen his bid for a place at the season finale in London.^[220] In a repeat of the Shenzhen Open final, Murray again saved five championship points as he overcame Tommy Robredo in three sets.^[221] Murray then went on to reach the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters, where he was eliminated by Djokovic in what was his 23rd match in the space of only 37 days.^[222] However, his win over Dimitrov in the third round had already guaranteed him a spot at the ATP World Tour Finals.^[223]

At the ATP World Tour Finals, Murray lost his opening round robin match to Kei Nishikori^[224] but won his second match against Milos Raonic.^[225] However, he lost his final group match against Federer in straight sets and only managed to win one game against him, marking his worst defeat since losing to Djokovic in the 2007 Miami Masters, eliminating him from the tournament.^[226] Despite the loss, his late-season run had already propelled him back up the rankings to number 6 in the world, his best ranking since June.

Following the conclusion of the season, Murray mutually agreed a split with long-term backroom staff, training partner Dani Vallverdu and fitness coach Jez Green. They had been with him for five and seven years respectively but were both reported to have been unhappy at the lack of consultation they had been given about the appointment of Mauresmo.^[227] Murray also took part in the inaugural season of the International Premier Tennis League, representing the Manila Mavericks, who had drafted him as an icon player in February.^[228] Murray took part in the first three matches of the tournament which were all played in Manila.^[229]

2015: Fourth Australian Open final and first clay court titles[edit]

Murray at the 2015 Australian Open

Main article: 2015 Andy Murray tennis season

Murray began his year by winning an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi.^[230] He then played the Hopman Cup with Heather Watson and, despite winning all his singles matches in straight sets, they finished second in their group behind Poland.^[231] His first competitive tournament of the year was the Australian Open. He won his opening three matches in straight sets before defeating 11th seed Grigor Dimitrov to reach the quarter-final.^[232] Wins over Nick Kyrgios^[233] and Tomáš Berdych followed as Murray reached his fourth final at the tournament (three of which were against Djokovic) and the eighth grand slam final of his career.^[234] He lost the final to Novak Djokovic in four sets,^[235] however his run to the final saw his return to the top four in the world rankings for the first time in 12 months.^[236] Murray next participated in theRotterdam Open as the top seed, but he lost in the quarterfinals to Gilles Simon who ended a 12 match losing streak against Murray.^[237]Murray then played in the Dubai Championships but suffered another quarterfinal defeat to 18-year-old Borna Ćorić and as a result, Murray slipped to no. 5 in the world rankings behind Rafael Nadal and Kei Nishikori.^[238][239] Afterwards, Murray played the Davis Cup World Groupin Glasgow against the United States. He won both his matches against Donald Young and John Isner, allowing Great Britain to progress to the quarterfinals for the second consecutive time with a 3–2 lead over the United States.^[240]

Murray with new coach Jonas Björkman during practice at the 2015 Aegon Championships.

Murray then reached the semifinals of the 2015 Indian Wells, overtaking Tim Henman's record of 496 career wins to have the most career wins for a British man in the Open Era.^[241] However, he suffered a 6th consecutive defeat to Djokovic in straight sets.^[242] Murray then reached the final of the2015 Miami Open, recording his 500th career win along the way to become the first British player to have 500 or more wins in the Open Era.^[243] He went on to lose the final to Djokovic, this time in three sets.^[244] Murray added Jonas Björkman to his coaching staff in March initially on a five-week trail to help out in periods when Mauresmo was unavailable as she only agreed to work with him for 25 weeks.^[245] However, at the end of the Australian Open, Mauresmo had informed Murray that she was pregnant and he announced at the end of April, that Björkman would be his main coach for all of the grass court season and all of the US hard court swing, while Mauresmo would only be with the team for Wimbledon.^[246]

Murray won his first ATP clay court title at the 2015 BMW Open. He defeated German Philipp Kohlschreiber in three close sets to become the first Briton since Buster Mottram in 1976 to win a tour level clay court event.^[247][248] The following week he reached his second final on clay, at the Madrid Open after recording only his second and third victories over top 10 opposition on clay, against Raonic and Nishikori.^[249][250] In the final, he defeated Rafael Nadal in straight sets for his first Madrid title on clay, and first ever clay court Masters 1000 title. The win was Murray's first over Nadal, Federer or Djokovic since Wimbledon 2013, and his first over Nadal on a clay court.^[251][252] Murray continued his winning streak at theItalian Open, beating Jeremy Chardy in straight sets in his opening match, but then withdrew due to fatigue after having played nine matches in the space of 10 days. Murray then reached his third semifinal at the French Open, but lost to Djokovic in five sets after threatening a comeback from two sets to love down, ending his 15 match winning streak on clay.^[253] To start his grass court campaign, Murray went on to win a record tying fourth Queen's Club title, defeating the big serving South African Kevin Anderson in straight sets in the final.^[254] At the third grand slam of the year, the 2015 Wimbledon Championships, Murray dropped only two sets on his way to setting up a semifinal clash with Roger Federer. Many people saw Murray as the slight favourite, however he lost to the Swiss veteran in straight sets, only creating one break point in the entire match.

After Wimbledon, Murray returned to Queen's Club, to play for Great Britain against France in their Davis Cup quarterfinal tie. Great Britain went 1–0 down when James Ward lost to Gilles Simon in straight sets, however Murray levelled the tie with a victory against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Murray then teamed up with his brother Jamie to win the doubles rubber, coming back from a set down to defeat Tsonga and Nicolas Mahut in four sets, and giving Britain a crucial 2–1 lead going into the final day. He then faced Simon in the fourth rubber and after initially being a set and a break down, he suddenly found his form again towards the end of the second set and eventually won in four sets, winning 12 of the last 15 games in the process (with Simon struggling from an ankle injury). With a 3–1 lead over France, this resulted in Great Britain reaching their first Davis Cup semifinal since 1981.

After his Davis Cup heroics, Murray next participated at the Citi Open (for the first time since 2006), as the top seed and favourite to win the tournament. However, he suffered one of the worst defeats of his career in his first match, losing to world No. 53 Teymuraz Gabashvili in a final set tiebreak, despite serving for the match and getting two points away from victory late in the third set, before getting broken. Despite the loss, Murray said that it was his first hard court match in over four months, with only four or five days of preparation, and he was happy with how he moved and did certain things on the court.

Rivalries[edit]

See also: Big Four (tennis)

Murray vs. Djokovic[edit]

Main article: Djokovic–Murray rivalry

Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have met 27 times with Djokovic leading 19–8.^[255][256] Djokovic leads 3–0 on clay, 16–6 on hard courts, and Murray leads 2–0 on grass. The two are almost exactly the same age, with Murray being only a week older than Djokovic. They went to training camp together, and Murray won the first match they ever played as teenagers. The pair have met 11 times in finals, Djokovic leads the series 6–5. Six of the finals were at ATP Masters 1000 events, with Murray winning the first three in straight sets, but Djokovic defeated Murray in the most recent three finals: first in straight sets in Miami, second in three sets at the Shanghai Masters. They have met in five Major finals: The 2011 Australian Open, the 2012 US Open, the 2013 Australian Open, the 2013 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2015 Australian Open. Djokovic has won in Australia three times, and Murray emerged as the victor at the US Open and Wimbledon. The former of Murray's victories was the longest ever final at the US Open, tying with the 1988 final played between Ivan Lendl and Mats Wilander at 4 hours and 53 minutes, whilst the latter was notable for being the first home triumph in men's singles at Wimbledon since 1936.

They also played a nearly five-hour long semifinal match in the 2012 Australian Open, which Djokovic won 7–5 in the fifth set after Murray led 2 sets to 1. Murray and Djokovic met again in 2012 at the London 2012 Olympic Games, with Murray winning in straight sets. During the final of the 2012 Shanghai Masters, Murray held five match point opportunities in the second set, however Djokovic saved each of them, forcing a deciding set. He eventually prevailed to win his first Shanghai Masters title, ending Murray's 12–0 winning streak at the event. The three set matches they played in Rome and Shanghai in 2011 and 2012 respectively were voted the ATP World Tour Match of the Year for each respective season.^[257][258] Due to the tight competition between 2008 and 2013, many saw this as the emerging rivalry, as the two are both in their prime years, and are both likely to be playing for at least another five years.^[259][260] However, Djokovic went on to dominate the rivalry after the 2013 Wimbledon final, winning all their last 8 meetings. Their most recent meeting was in the semi finals of the 2015 French Open where Djokovic defeated Murray in five sets after Murray threatened a comeback from 2 sets down.

Murray vs. Federer[edit]

Main article: Federer–Murray rivalry

Andy Murray and Roger Federer have met 24 times with Federer leading 13–11. Federer leads 11–10 on hard courts and leads 2–1 on grass and they have never met on clay. After Federer won the first professional match they played, Murray dominated the rivalry from 2006 until 2014 with Federer beating Murray three straight times to reverse the lead at the 2014 ATP World Tour Finals.^[261][262] Federer leads 5–3 in finals, having won each of their Grand Slam Final meetings at the 2008 US Open^[90] and 2010 Australian Open, both of which Federer won in straight sets, and the 2012 Wimbledon Championships, where Murray took the first set, but ended up losing in 4 sets. Murray leads 6–2 in ATP 1000 tournaments and 2–0 in finals. They have met five times at the ATP World Tour Finals, with Murray winning in Shanghai in 2008^[263] and Federer coming out victorious in London in 2009, 2010, 2012, and in 2014.

In August 2012, Murray met Federer in the final of the London 2012 Olympics at Wimbledon Centre Court, just four weeks after the 2012 Wimbledon Final in which Federer had defeated Murray to win his 7th title at the All-England Club. Murray defeated Federer in straight sets to win the gold medal, denying Federer a Career Golden Slam. In 2013 Murray beat Federer for the first time in a Major in the semi-finals of the Australian Open, prevailing in five sets after Federer had come back twice from a set down.^[264] Their last grand slam meeting was at Australian Open 2014 quarter finals where Federer defeated Murray in straight sets. Murray is one of only three players to have recorded 10 or more victories over Federer, the other two being Nadal and Djokovic. Their most recent meeting took place at the 2015 Wimbledon Championships semifinals in London, with Federer winning the match in straight sets, denying Murray a place in his third Wimbledon final.

Murray vs. Nadal[edit]

Main article: Murray–Nadal rivalry

Andy Murray has played against Rafael Nadal on 21 occasions since 2007, with Nadal leading 15–6. Nadal leads 6–1 on clay, 3–0 on grass and 6–5 on hard courts. The pair regularly meet at Grand Slam level, with nine out of their twenty-one meetings coming in slams, with Nadal leading 7–2 (3–0 at Wimbledon, 2–0 at the French Open, 1–1 at the Australian Open and 1–1 at the US Open).^[265] Eight of these nine appearances have been at Quarter-final and Semi-final level. They have never met in a Slam final, however, Murray leads 3–1 in ATP finals, with Nadal winning at Indian Wells in 2009^[266] and Murray winning in Rotterdam the same year^[267], Tokyo^[268] in 2011, and at Madrid in 2015. Murray lost three consecutive Grand Slam semifinals to Nadal in 2011 from the French Open to the US Open. Of the past 19 Grand Slam drawsheets, they have been drawn in the same half 16 times. The pair had not met for three years since the final of the 2011 Japan Open until the quarter finals of the 2014 Rome Masters, although they were scheduled to meet in the semi-final of the 2012 Miami Masters before Nadal withdrew with injury.^[269] At the semifinal stage of the 2014 French Open, Nadal triumphed in a dominant straight sets win for the loss of just 6 games. In their most recent meeting, Andy Murray beat Rafael Nadal for the first time on clay,^[270] and the first time in a Masters 1000 final^{[citation needed]}, at the Madrid Open in 2015.

Playing style[edit]

At the Boodles Challenge, Stoke Park, June 2012

Murray is a defensive baseliner, equipped with an all-court game, and professional tennis coach Paul Annacone stated that Murray "may be the best counterpuncher on tour today."^[271][272] His strengths include groundstrokes with low error rate, the ability to anticipate and react, and his transition from defence to offence with speed, which enables him to hit winners from defensive positions. His playing style has been likened to that of Miloslav Mečíř. Murray also has one of the best two-handed backhands on the tour, with dynamic stroke execution.^[273] Tim Henman has stated that Murray may now have the best lob in the game, succeeding Lleyton Hewitt.^[274] In addition to this, Murray is a good volleyer and executes a fine drop shot although his selection in the drop shots are sometimes questionable against faster players like Roger Federer.^[275][276]

Murray's tactics usually involve passive exchanges from the baseline. He is capable of injecting sudden pace into his groundstrokes to surprise his opponents who are used to the slow rally. Murray is also one of the top returners in the game, often able to block back fast serves with his excellent reach and ability to anticipate. For this reason, Murray is rarely aced.^[277] Murray is known for being one of the most intelligent tacticians on the court, often constructing points.^[278][279] Murray is most proficient on a fast surface,^[272] like grass, where he has won six singles titles including the Wimbledon Championships and the 2012 Olympic Gold Medal. He has worked hard since 2008 on improving his clay court game,^[280] ultimately winning his first clay titles during 2015 at Munich and Madrid. While Murray has a strong first serve, reaching speeds of 130 mph or higher on some occasions, one of his weaknesses is an inconsistent second serve. Since Ivan Lendl's coaching between 2011 and 2014, he has worked to improve his second serve, returns and mental game, resulting in a more offensive game.^[281][282]

Endorsements and equipment[edit]

In 2009 German manufacturer Adidas and Murray signed a five-year-deal worth £30 million. This included wearing their range of tennis shoes.^[283] The contract with Adidas allowed Murray to keep his shirt sleeve sponsors Shiatzy Chen, Royal Bank of Scotland and Highland Spring. Before he was signed by Adidas in late 2009, he wore Fred Perryapparel.^[284] At the end of their contract together Adidas decided not to re-sign with Murray,^[285] and he began a 4-year partnership with athletic apparel company Under Armourin December 2014.,^[286] reportedly worth $25 million.^[287] Murray uses Head rackets, and regularly appears in advertisements for the brand.^[288] In June 2012, the Swiss watch manufacturer Rado announced that Murray had signed a deal to wear their D-Star 200 model.^[289]

Charitable work[edit]

Murray is a founding member of the Malaria No More UK Leadership Council and helped launch the charity in 2009 with David Beckham. Footage from the launch at Wembley Stadium can be seen on YouTube and the charity's website. Murray also made 'Nets Needed', a short public service announcement, for the charity to help raise awareness and funds to help in the fight against malaria.^[290] Murray has also taken part in several charity tennis events, including the Rally for Relief events that took place prior to the start of the 2011 Australian Open.^[291]

In June 2013, Murray teamed up with former British number 1 Tim Henman for a charity doubles match against Murray's coach and eight-time grand slam champion Ivan Lendl, and world No. 6 Tomáš Berdych at the Queen's Club in London. The event named Rally Against Cancer was organised to raise money for Royal Marsden Cancer Charity after his best friend and fellow British player Ross Hutchins was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma.^[292][293] The event took place following the final day of competitive play at theAEGON Championships, on Sunday 16 June. Subsequently, following his victory at the tournament, Murray donated his entire prize money pot to The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.^[294]

In June 2014, following the death of Elena Baltacha, Murray featured in an event known as 'Rally for Bally.' Murray played at Queen's Club alongside Victoria Azarenka, Martina Hingis, Heather Watson and his brother Jamie. The event raised money for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and the Elena Baltacha Academy of Tennis. Children from Baltacha's academy took to the court to play alongside Murray.^[295][296] As a result of his various charitable exploits, Murray was awarded the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year award for 2014.

Image[edit]

National identity[edit]

Fans at Live Site East on the Olympic Park celebrate Murray winning gold, 5 August 2012

Murray identifies himself as Scottish and British.^[297] His national identity has often been commented on by the media.^[298] Whilst making a cameo appearance on comedy show Outnumbered, Murray is asked whether he is British or Scottish, to which he responds "It depends if I'm winning".^[299] Much of the discussion about Murray's national identity began prior to Wimbledon 2006, when he was quoted as saying he would "support anyone but England" at the 2006 World Cup. English ex-tennis player Tim Henman confirmed that the remarks had been made in jest and were only in response to Murray being teased by journalist Des Kelly and Henman about Scotland's failure to qualify.^[300]

Murray initially refused to endorse either side of the debate in the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence, citing the abuse he had received after his comments in 2006.^[301] Just before the referendum, Murray tweeted what was considered by the media an endorsement of the yes vote.^{[a][302][303][304]} He received some abuse for expressing his opinion, including messages that were described as "vile" byPolice Scotland; one referred to the Dunblane massacre.^[304] A few days after the vote, in which a 55% majority opposed Scottish independence, Murray said that he did not regret stating his view, but admitted that it was out of character and that he would concentrate on his tennis career in future.^[304]

Other[edit]

In 2006, there was uproar after a match with Kenneth Carlsen. Having been given a warning for racket abuse, he went on in the post-match interview to state that he and Carlsen had "played like women" during the first set.^[305] Murray was booed for the remark, but explained later that the comment had been intended as a jocular response to what Svetlana Kuznetsova had said at the Hopman Cup.^[306] A few months later, Murray was fined for swearing at the umpire during a Davis Cup doubles rubber with Serbia and Montenegro Davis Cup team. Murray refused to shake hands with the umpire at the end of the match.^[307]

In 2007, Murray suggested that tennis had a match-fixing problem, stating that everyone knows it goes on,^[308] in the wake of the investigation surrounding Nikolay Davydenko.^[309] Both Davydenko and Rafael Nadal questioned his comments, but Murray responded that his words had been taken out of context.^[310]

Career statistics[edit]

Main article: Andy Murray career statistics

Grand Slam tournament performance timeline[edit]

Key

W

F

SF

QF

R#

RR

LQ (Q#)

A

P

Z#

PO

SF-B

F-S

G

NMS

NH

Won tournament; or reached Final; Semifinal; Quarter-final; Round 4, 3, 2, 1; competed at a Round Robin stage; lost in Qualification Round; absent from tournament event; played in a Davis Cup - / Fed Cup Zonal Group (with its number indication) or Play-off; won a bronze, silver (F or S) or gold medal at the Olympics; a downgraded Masters Series/1000 tournament (Not a Masters Series); or a tournament that was Not Held in a given year.

To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated either at the conclusion of a tournament, or when the player's participation in the tournament has ended.

Tournament	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	SR	W–L	Win %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open	A	1R	4R	1R	4R	F	F	SF	F	QF	F	0 / 10	39–10	79.59
French Open	A	1R	A	3R	QF	4R	SF	QF	A	SF	SF	0 / 8	28–8	77.78
Wimbledon	3R	4R	A	QF	SF	SF	SF	F	W	QF	SF	1 / 10	46–9	83.64
US Open	2R	4R	3R	F	4R	3R	SF	W	QF	QF		1 / 10	37–9	80.43
Win–Loss	3–2	6–4	5–2	12–4	15–4	16–4	21–4	22–3	17–2	17–4	16–3	2 / 38	150–36	80.65

Finals: 8 (2 titles, 6 runners-up)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Runner-up	2008	US Open	Hard	Roger Federer	2–6, 5–7, 2–6
Runner-up	2010	Australian Open	Hard	Roger Federer	3–6, 4–6, 6–7(11–13)
Runner-up	2011	Australian Open (2)	Hard	Novak Djokovic	4–6, 2–6, 3–6
Runner-up	2012	Wimbledon	Grass	Roger Federer	6–4, 5–7, 3–6, 4–6
Winner	2012	US Open	Hard	Novak Djokovic	7–6(12–10), 7–5, 2–6, 3–6, 6–2
Runner-up	2013	Australian Open (3)	Hard	Novak Djokovic	7–6(7–2), 6–7(3–7), 3–6, 2–6
Winner	2013	Wimbledon	Grass	Novak Djokovic	6–4, 7–5, 6–4
Runner-up	2015	Australian Open (4)	Hard	Novak Djokovic	6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–4), 3–6, 0–6

Olympic Games[edit]

Finals: 2 (1 gold medal, 1 silver medal)[edit]

Singles: 1 (1–0)[edit]

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Winner	2012	London 2012	Grass	Roger Federer	6–2, 6–1, 6–4

Mixed Doubles: 1 (0–1)[edit]

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Runner-up	2012	London 2012	Grass	Laura Robson	Victoria Azarenka  Max Mirnyi	6–2, 3–6, [8–10]

Records[edit]

• These records were attained in the Open Era.
• Records in bold indicate peer-less achievements.
• Records in italics are currently active streaks.

[show]Time Span	Records at each Grand Slam tournament	Players matched

[show]Grand Slam tournaments	Time Span	Records at each Grand Slam tournament	Players matched

[show]Time span	Other selected records	Players matched

Awards and honours[edit]

BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year: 2004 Most titles in an ATP World Tour season (6 titles): 2009 US Open Series Champion: 2010 Best ATP World Tour Match of the Year (3): 2010[b],[317] 2011[c],[318] 2012[d][319] Officer of the Order of the British Empire: 2013 Laureus "World Breakthrough of the Year" Award: 2013 Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award for Top Scot: 2013

Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award for Sport: 2013 BBC Sports Personality of the Year: 2013 Doctor of the University of Stirling: 2014[320] Freeman of Stirling: 2014 [320] Freeman of Merton: 2014 [321][322] Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year: 2014

See also[edit]

Tennis portal

• 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics gold post boxes
• List of Grand Slam men's singles champions
• Tennis records of the Open Era – Men's Singles

Notes[edit]

1. Jump up^ Murray tweeted "Huge day for Scotland today! no campaign negativity last few days totally swayed my view on it. excited to see the outcome. lets do this!"
2. Jump up^ ATP World Tour Finals semifinal lost. Rafael Nadal 6–7(5), 6–3, 6–7(6)
3. Jump up^ Rome semifinal lost. Novak Djokovic 1–6, 6–3, 6–7(2)
4. Jump up^ Shanghai final lost. Novak Djokovic 7–5, 6–7(11), 3–6