Murray produced another battling display in Washington to outlast another young american, ranked 80th Mackenzie McDonald. McDonald who looked bright and aggressive early on faded towards the end of the match as he lost the potency he displayed in the first set and started to feel shot fatigue midway through the 2nd.
What's encouraging for Murray is he showed signs of good fitness and didn't seem to nurse his body at any point the way he did on his return at Queens. He looked energetic and had the bit between his teeth relentlessly covering a huge amount of the court on my occasions. He also wasn't afraid to show strong emotion when he eventually overcame McDonald - you can't accuse Murray of being proud, he celebrated his victory over McDonald like he had just won his third Wimbledon title.
But How Far Can He Actually Get in Washington?
Outlasting a naive and somewhat inexperienced McDonald is one thing but we saw how Murray was blasted off the court at Eastbourne by fellow Brit Kyle Edmund, even with his lack of fitness he was outclassed which was a sorry sight to behold I must admit.
This year's Washington Open contains plenty of tough tests for Murray and his fitness, take a look at the list below of players he has to potentially get through to win his first ATP title after a return from injury:
Alexander Zverev (Rank 3rd)
David Goffin (Rank 11th)
Nick Kyrgios (Rank 17th)
Kyle Edmund (Rank 18th) (this one is certain as Edmund got a bye in the opening round)
Kei Nishikori (Rank 20th)
Hyeong Chung (Rank 23rd)
Denis Shapovalov (Rank 26th)
Coincidentally Murray's last stiff test is also his next one again as he will face off against Kyle Edmund in the next round in Washington. Murray will be hoping to put on a much more convincing performance in against the big hitting Edmund if he wants any chance of progressing through round 2. Edmund bulldozed his way through Murray's defense at Eastbourne 6-4 6-4. From a British tennis fan's perspective it's a little disappointing to see these two square off so early in the tournament but we actually have a third Brit in the draw - Cameron Norrie (more on him later).
Watch Edmund Annihilate Murray at Eastbourne
Edmund himself of late has struggled to make the later rounds of tournaments and is in a bit of a slump in form. So perhaps Murray has a better chance in Washington than he did in London.
More Aggressive in Turning Defense into Attack
Murray in the past at times has been found guilty of too much of a weak counter from his defensive position. This for me is one of his fundamental weaknesses and why even though he has claimed 3 grand slams he has stumbled in so many finals. His dogged defense is second to none but when he gets himself back into a neutral position in a point he fails to capitalise with a deep and aggressive enough ground stroke of his own to turn the tables in his favour. This happened on many occasions against McDonald and that allowed McDonald to get on the front foot once more. He won't be able to take such liberties against Edmund who unlike McDonald has been hitting a high percentage of winners from neutral positions on court this year.
A great defense sometimes can be an Achilles heal because it's all too tempting to think if you just keep chipping the ball back over the net your opponent will win the point for you with an error, I'd like to see Murray get beyond this way of thinking more frequently.
Who is Murray Likely to Play if He Overcomes Edmund?
If Murray can kick start his return with a win over Edmund, which will not be easy, he has a more comfortable next round opponent in the most likely form of Jeremy Chardy. Chardy is what I consider to be an average player on the tour. He has a solid service game and a good forehand but his consistency is a big weakness. He is the sort of opponent Murray loves to play early on and he is very easy to wear down.
Beyond Jeremy Chardy will likely lie a Quarter Final test against either Hyeon Chung or Marcos Baghdatis (my dark horse pick of the early rounds to watch out for). Both of these opponents who play each other next can give Murray a serious run for his money. The semi final and final will be a whole different task for Murray considering he is still in the early phase of recovering from a major injury. Let's wait how he fairs today against Edmund first.
Comments