Before Andy Murray ended the wait for his first grand slam title his detractors used his defeats as evidence he would never rub shoulders with the very best. Then he won Olympic gold, the US Open and Wimbledon within a year and the net had to be lowered for the benefit of those who were still unconvinced. So when Murray loses a match now it is a sign of terminal decline, proof that his euphoric victory over Novak Djokovic in the 2013 Wimbledon final was the beginning of the end.
Murray has lost more matches than he would have liked in what has been a testing year after his recovery from back surgery. Yet responding in the face of adversity is the mark of a champion. Murray was the world No4 at the turn of the year but the disappointments quickly began to add up and he dropped to 12th in the rankings after the US Open, despite the excellence of his performance in his quarter-final defeat by Djokovic. It was his first time outside the top 10 since 2008 and his hopes of qualifying for the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London looked remote.
At which point it paid to remember that doing things the hard way is a Murray forte. Just when one is losing faith in him he tends to pull a rabbit out of the hat and, sure enough, here he is on the brink of sealing his spot at the O2 Arena next month after he somehow outlasted Tommy Robredo in Sunday’s astonishing Valencia Open final.
Faced with a mountain to climb a month ago, Murray has simply bulldozed through it and improbably is fifth in the race to London after overtaking Tomas Berdych, Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori.
Murray does excel in the improbable. After losing to Djokovic in New York he said he was not planning any drastic changes to his schedule. Yet he has barely had time to think since then. The Scot ignored any fatigue, added extra events to his diary and this week’s Paris Masters will be the first time he has played six tournaments in successive weeks since he joined the Tour as an 18-year-old.
With Rafael Nadal ruled himself out of London because of surgery the top nine will qualify. Djokovic, Roger Federer, Stanislas Wawrinka and Cilic, as US Open champion, are already assured of their places and Murray will guarantee his if he reaches the quarter-finals in Paris, where he is seeded to play Djokovic.
Yet even if he does not get that far, it will take a highly unlikely combination of results to deny him. Berdych, David Ferrer and Nishikori are almost there, leaving Milos Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov with the most to do.
It was Dimitrov who sparked Murray’s deepest crisis of confidence when he dismantled him in their Wimbledon quarter-final in July. Murray had a new coach, Amélie Mauresmo, after his split with Ivan Lendl and the vultures circled.
Murray ignored them. At the US Open he beat a top-10 player for the first time this year when he sent Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on his way in the fourth round and then he pushed Djokovic hard, succumbing in four sets.
He took himself off to China for the Shenzen Open and won his first ATP title of the year after saving five match points against Robredo in the final. He beat Cilic in Beijing, another top-10 scalp but not enough to earn him a title, and then downed Ferrer in the final of the Vienna Open. Murray’s problem earlier in the year was squandering winning positions; now he was showing no mercy.
In Valencia he won his semi-final with Ferrer in straight sets before the marathon with Robredo, who took a high-quality first set 6-3. Murray, drenched in sweat, looked exhausted but he fought back, saved five Robredo match points again and won 3-6, 7-6, 7-6 in three hours and 20 minutes after two gruelling tie-breaks. It was his third title in 31 days.
The turnaround has been a remarkable testament to Murray’s character. His final shot was a backhand winner down the line and, when the players met at the net, the disbelieving Spaniard stuck two middle fingers in Murray’s face.
It was meant as a compliment. Murray’s innate stubborness had saved him again. The man does not know when he is beaten.
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