Has Andy Murray secured his place in tennis history?

Has Andy Murray secured his place in tennis history?

With a number of years ahead of him at the top of the game, it is already possible to say with certainty that Andy Murray has secured his place in tennis history when it comes down to the best players to have played the game. A look over his accomplishments will quickly tell you why.

When compiling a list of the Top 100 male players in the Open Era, I have Murray at a lofty 19th place. Every name above him in the standings are recognisable as legends of the sport, whilst a fair few behind him are still household names, even amongst the most casual of tennis fans.

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Placing him inside the Top 20 players of the Open Era was based in statistics, but dissecting him for his tennis also suggests that he will be remembered. His two handed backhand is one of the best the sport has ever seen, whilst his guile on passing shots and topspin lobs stands out amongst this current generation.

His work ethic, both on and off the court ought to set the standard for the modern day athlete. He utilises the off season better than most players, whilst Murray was the first to bring a ‘super coach’ into his team in the form of Ivan Lendl, the results of which spoke for itself.

Age: 28 (15 May 1987)

Grand Slam Finals: 8 (4 AUS, 2 WIM, 2 US)

Grand Slam Titles: 2 (1 WIM, 1 US)

Two Years Without A Major

Two years ago and you would have said that were Murray to continue on the same trajectory, he would be considered amongst the greats of the game. Whilst that is still a very real possibility, his search for a third major title leaves him struggling to pull away from the pack.

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Without a doubt Murray is the best player in history to have one two majors or fewer. With a career win/loss ratio of 3.3 more typical of a four or five time Grand Slam champion, he is streaks ahead of the likes of Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt.

Jim Courier may have won four Grand Slam titles, but his career win/loss ratio was down at 2.1. He also amassed 23 titles, whereas Murray is at 34 and counting. This is not to withdraw from Courier’s incredible achievements, but more to highlight the level to which Murray has consistently performed.

As he well knows, however, major titles are currency in tennis. History books will rank him on his biggest titles and not much else. Aside from Tennis statisticians, the number of career wins he achieves will only be a footnote in his career summary.

Andy Murray’s Recent Grand Slam History

Tournament	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Aus Open	–	1R	4R	1R	4R	F	F	SF	F	QF	F
French Open	–	1R	–	3R	QF	4R	SF	QF	–	SF	SF
Wimbledon	3R	4R	–	QF	SF	SF	SF	F	W	QF	SF
US Open	2R	4R	3R	F	4R	3R	SF	W	QF	QF	–

Is Career Golden Grand Slam in Reach?

His Olympic singles gold medal will also ensure he is remember as one of the greats of the game. At London 2012, the thought that tennis was not taken seriously at the Games was well and truly extinguished and yet with fierce competition, Murray emphatically came out on top.

It leaves him in an interesting position at 28 years of age. A number of accomplishments seem within reach. A Golden Masters is four titles away. Paris and Indian Wells on the hard courts seem achievable, whilst his recent success on the clay make Monte Carlo and Rome more of a possibility.

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The career Golden Grand Slam is also not out of the realms of plausibility. He has frequently come close in Australia, losing four finals, whilst once again his resurgence on the clay might give him a chance at the French, especially with Rafael Nadal’s powers on the wane.

Even the Davis Cup looks to be a real possibility in 2015, with Murray almost single handedly dragging Great Britain forward and into the semi finals of the World Group. With the ATP World Tour Finals qualification seemingly a foregone conclusion for Murray most seasons, seemingly every major title is within reach.

In an era where there is rife debate surrounding whether Andy Murray is in the Big Four, what is certain is that he is one of the best to have played the game. He is playing and making a name for himself in the strongest ever era, which you cannot fail to admire.

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