Melbourne Park’s interview room was packed with journalists from around the world yesterday as Murray came to the realisation that his first Australian Open appearance would be only slightly less high profile than his debut at Wimbledon six months ago.
Murray was aware that any concerted attempt to deflect interest would be futile, but he tried nonetheless. “Not every 18-year-old is Rafael Nadal, you know,” he said. “It took (Roger) Federer three years before he won a match at Wimbledon and now he’s pretty much unbeatable there. You can’t expect to win so many matches so early.”
The attention is part of the new reality that Murray must face — and will be reflected on court. This year will prove more testing than last because he is no longer an unknown quantity to more seasoned opponents. Regardless of how well he adapted to particular situations in his rookie year, and repeatedly he was nothing short of exemplary, wins such as those over Taylor Dent at Queen’s, Radek Stepanek at Wimbledon, Robby Ginepri in Bangkok and Tomas Berdych in Basle were partly down to the man on the other side of the net not knowing what to expect.
Berdych was far more prepared for the task when they met again two weeks ago in Adelaide, winning 7-4 4-6 6-1. “Everybody is going to get to know your game the more you play, it’s just a fact of life,” Murray conceded. “I would say that everybody knows how I play a bit better now than they did before Wimbledon last year and within a few more months that knowledge will have spread even more.”
Though tennis is an individual sport, there is networking between compatriots, particularly in the coaching fraternity. Walk through any players’ lounge or restaurant and there is invariably a gathering of Spaniards, Argentinians, Czechs or Russians comparing notes on the strengths and weaknesses of the new players on the men’s tour.
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Actual documentation may not be swapped but Murray’s coach Mark Petchey will prepare for Juan Ignacio Chela, his charge’s first-round opponent in Melbourne, not just by delving into his own mental database but by seeking the advice of Tim Henman, who is aware of the Argentinian’s failings after playing him eight times in the past five years.
“Have no doubt, the Argentinians will also be pooling what they know about Murray,” says Pat Cash, who is well aware of the coaching cabals after his days spent working on the tour with Greg Rusedski and Mark Philippoussis. “Within minutes of the draw being made on Friday, Roberto Azar (Chela’s coach) would have contacted David Nalbandian’s man Franco Mastelli and asked what happened in that five-setter at Wimbledon last summer.
“In this particular case he would not have learnt too much because Mastelli didn’t get the gig with Nalbandian until late last year but there were plenty of other guys from Argentina who watched the match and the common belief is, of course, that Murray was found increasingly wanting for strength the longer it went on.
“So what is Chela going to be told to do? Not allow Murray to dictate points and move the kid around the court as much as possible.”
Cash recalls several players who made an impressive breakthrough only to slip quickly back down the rankings, citing the two Germans Rainer Schüttler (who rose to a peak of world No 6 two years ago but now languishes closer to the 100 mark) and Florin Mayer (whose improvement of more than 200 places to No 35 at the end of 2004 was followed by a decline to 75th place last year).
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“Nobody is saying those two guys possessed equal talent to Murray but it’s a fact of life that the second year on the main tour is always harder than the first,” says Cash. “It’s very hard to keep a secret in this game and there are dossiers being built up on Andy all around the locker room.”
Most of those dossiers will be marked by their admiration for the young Scot. The inquisitive nature of professionals has been luring many of the world’s top coaches to the youngster’s matches since he won the US Open junior title in 2004.
Bob Brett, the Australian who took charge of harnessing Boris Becker’s talents when the German was 19 and then did the same job with an even younger Goran Ivanisevic, enthused: “Apart from an abundance of talent, the thing I most like about Murray is his character and ability to win.
“He has a long way to go and plenty of things to develop, but if he improves a hundred things by just 1% then he is going to be an extremely competent player. Maybe it will take a couple of years but he will get fitter, stronger and better at the execution of his shots.
“The great thing is he will not allow himself to be intimidated just because he is only 18. Those who are willing him to win a Grand Slam title cannot expect it for some time but it just might happen quicker than we all expect.”
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Murray for his part maintains his initial aim for the year is to be named among Wimbledon’s 32 seeds in late June, and with few ranking points to defend over the next five months that would certainly appear a possibility. Sven Groeneveld, long-time coach to both Greg Rusedski and Mary Pierce and recently head-hunted by adidas to identify and help potential champions, concurred, saying: “There is certainly not too much wrong with his game and I firmly believe Andy’s improvement will continue this year.
“What I like is the way he is not afraid to win. His victory over Tim Henman in Basle was a huge test of his mind rather than his game but he did not let the situation fluster him at all, even in the tie-break.
“You can analyse his shots and perhaps a few need a little bit of work, but the thing that really gives him potential is the fact he has a good head for the game.”
Importantly, Murray is now comfortable with his surroundings. At Wimbledon last summer and then at the US Open where he came through qualifying, he repeatedly insisted that he still felt something of an outsider when it came to walking into the locker room. Now it’s different. “I’m part of the tour now,” he says. “I’m going to be playing against these guys week in, week out. When I do beat a top guy, it’s not going to be a surprise any more.”