New Delhi:
Great Britain’s Andy Murray became the new World No. 1 on Saturday after his Canadian opponent Milos Raonic withdrew from their Paris Masters semi-final with injury.
The walkover will see Murray, 29, rise to the top of the ATP singles rankings for the first time in his career. Murray shall replace Serbian tennis ace Novok Djokovic as the World No. 1.
It is notable that Djokovic had an extended hegemony at the very top after being the top men's singles player for an astounding 122 weeks. Murray and the Serbian tennis ace have had a long standing rivalry between them and have clashed in some epic grand slam tournament finals over the last couple of years.
So let us take a close look into Andy Murray’ style of play, his major tennis achievements and his long standing rivalry with Novak Djokovic.
Andy Murray’s Style of Play
Andy Murray has been billed as a counter-offensive baseliner who basically relies on breaking his opponents momentum by grinding them with his powerful and deep groundstrokes from the baseline. He has a potent serve and has good volleying skills at the net too. Many tennis pundits and fellow competitors have hailed him as one of the best returners of the serve. Murray has worked very hard on his fitness and it has paid off big time for him in clinching those marathon 5 setters at Grand Slams.
Murray is an all court player and has the ability to change his approach and style according to the surface and situations. But his game has been best suited to the fast hardcourts and grass courts at All England.
Murray Glittering tennis career so far – Great Britain’s greatest tennis player
Andy Murray is credited for leading Great Britain’s tennis renaissance. The Island nation’s 77 year long wait for a home grown British Wimbledon champion was finally ended by the Scotsmen who brought a lot of relief and joy to his home fans by lifting the coveted All England Championships in 2013. Murray added another feather to his cap by winning the Olympic Men’s single title at the 2012 London Games.
Murray has been consistently ranked in the Top 5 of the ATP World rankings courtesy his consistent performances in Grand Slams and major ATP Master Series. Its not only individual accolades, Murray has also restablished Great Britain a powerhouse in Men’s tennis as lead his nation to victory in the 2015 Davis Cup.
Murray has been on the ascendacy in the world rankings after striking a purple patch in 2016, where he successfully defended his Wimbledon and Olympic crown.
Djokovic- Murray Rivarly
With the Swiss maestro Federer well past his prime and the ‘Spanish bull’ Rafael Nadal nursing a string of injuries, the Djokoivc-Murray rivalry has taken center stage and billed as the most intense battle for reigning supreme in men’s tennis.
Both the men are pretty similar in their style of play. Both Djoko and Murray are powerful baseliners with potent and hard-hitting groundstokes. Both Murray and Djokovic have strong serves.
But what separated these two tennis stars was their mental toughness. Djokovic’s killer instinct and ability to finish off crucial matches was seen as the major differentiator between these modern day greats of the game. Meanwhile Murray was often criticized as a slow started, a bit lackadaisical and easy going in his approach. The Brit has changed that approach of his in the last two years and its paid off huge dividends.
