Lob and Smash
Fansided

The Rise, Fall, and Second Wind: The roller coaster ride of Andy Murray

By Brandon Daniels

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 03: Andy Murray of Great Britain acknowledges the crowd as he celebrates victory after the Gentlemen's Singles first round match against Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan on day one of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 3, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 03: Andy Murray of Great Britain acknowledges the crowd as he celebrates victory after the Gentlemen's Singles first round match against Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan on day one of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 3, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 8
Next
Andy Murray of Great Britain hits a return to Roger Federer of Switzerland in the men’s final at the US Open tennis tournament September 8, 2008 in New York. Federer won 6-2 7-5 6-2. AFP PHOTO/DON EMMERT (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images)
Andy Murray of Great Britain hits a return to Roger Federer of Switzerland in the men’s final at the US Open tennis tournament September 8, 2008 in New York. Federer won 6-2 7-5 6-2. AFP PHOTO/DON EMMERT (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images) /

2008-2011: Grand Slam breakthroughs and Top 5

2008 was Murrays breakout year. Following three years of potential as one of the game’s best, he took his game to the next level and captured two Masters 1000 titles in Madrid and Cincinnati. In Cincinnati, he captured his third title of the year and first Masters title with a win over Novak Djokovic.

He carried his momentum into the US Open three weeks later, reaching the finals after wins over Stan Wawrinka, Juan Martin Del Potro, and Rafael Nadal before losing in 3 sets to Roger Federer in the championship match. The Brit moved into the top five for the first time following the tournament and finished the year in the same spot.

In 2009, Murray reached a then career-high ranked of 2nd after winning three titles, including the Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells. After struggling to get back to the final day in a major, Murray suffered a wrist injury at the US Open and lost in straight sets during week one. He finished the year ranked 4th for the second year in a row.

2010 began very well for Murray; he reached the Australian Open final with wins over Nadal and Marin Cilic before losing to Federer in the finals. He captured two titles, both being Masters 1000 Series’ in Shanghai and Canada. He remained a stalwart in the top five and finished 4th in the world for the third year in a row.

Murray’s most consistent year came in 2011. While he didn’t have the title success that he had in previous seasons, he had a consistent and successful Grand Slam season. He reached the Australian Open finals, this time losing to Djokovic. Murray had his best result in Paris, reaching his first semifinals at the event before bowing out to Nadal.

At Wimbledon, he faced Nadal again in the semifinals and lost in four sets, despite taking the first set. Nadal, for the third time, got the upper hand over Murray in New York, taking him down in the semifinals in four sets. Murray finally took down Nadal in Tokyo to win his 4th title of the year. His last win of the year came in Shanghai, where he defended his Masters title over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and won his second 1000 Series of the year.

Murray finished 4th behind the Big 3 for the 4th consecutive year.

Home/Andy Murray