To understand the value of a Grand Slam win, you have to look at the celebration which the eventual indulges in after winning the last point. It varies from falling down in tears to ripping apart one’s t-shirt to just frantic running, it just shows the kind of effort that puts in while winning a grand slam.

So what does Andy Murray lack in his game that he does not end up winning that elusive and coveted Grand Slam title. Andy Murray has made it to four Grand Slam finals and lost all four, three to Roger Federer and one to Novak Djokovic. Murray plays top level tennis at every Grand Slam but when it comes to providing the finishing touch to what is a consistent and power packed performance, Murray loses and the Grand Slam eludes him.

Murray - Under the Microscope

If we start contemplating the reasons carefully, some points are absolutely noteworthy which stand out and causes Murray to lose out on a Grand Slam win. The Scot more often than not ends up with an empty tank till he reaches the semi final or the final, playing some very long matches and an almost guaranteed five setter which tires him and when Murray faces someone of the quality of Rafael Nadal or Federer, he is found wanting. Murray’s career has been plagued by a lot of injuries too as one often sees him playing with heavy strapping on his foot, this obviously hampers his movement and eventually his game. The right-hander is a player who has great resilience and he often breaks opponents down by hanging in rallies and tiring them down, this however, does not work against people of the class of Roger, Rafa and Nole who in the end prove to be too high class players for him. Also, Murray is essentially a hard court player and his game is based on big serves and powerful shot making him a slow mover across the court which is a big disadvantage given how agile all the other players are.

The game has evolved a great deal with players having their whole contingent working along with them, technology is high class and all players are provided with a great insight on their opponents’ strategy and game plan. A player needs to possess a vast repertoire of shots to not be predictable, shots like the lob, drop, slice and even the very exotic pass between the legs is sometimes required to pull a fast one on your opponent.

The amount of pressure Andy Murray is under going into every tournament given the fact that no British player has come even close to winning a Grand Slam since Fred Perry and the Great Britain’s hopes lie on this 24 year old to end their draught for a Grand Slam.

The Verdict

The Scot is certainly a special player, he has age on his side and given the amount of hard work he puts in, the Grand Slam is inevitably on his way. When? Maybe when the England football team wins an international trophy.

This article was contributed by one of our budding interns: Vikram Mahendra