There was a sense of inevitability about Rafael Nadal's straight sets' win over Andy Murray at the French Open semi-finals on Friday.
It was the fourth time Murray had lost to the Spaniard in their six Grand Slam meetings and Nadal's record on clay is astonishing - he's only been beaten once in the French Open and walked off with the title five times.
But the scoreline - 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 - does little justice to the match, or Murray's part in it. Having stumbled through to his first Roland Garros semi-final, and fought off a groin injury, a partially-torn ankle ligament, a sore throat and even a broken tooth on the way, the British number one played his best tennis of the tournament against the incredible Nadal. He carved out numerous break point opportunites on the Nadal serve - but only when he was a break down himself. The match was close - but Nadal won the crucial points here and there.
And therein lies the problem - Nadal always had another gear to find, particularly on his favourite surface. Murray, like Tim Henman and many other Brits before him, is never likely to flourish on the red dirt and so will be pleased to match Henman's 2004 run to the semis. He can now turn his attention to the grass court season and prepare, ankle-permitting, for the pressure cooker of Wimbledon.
Being the fourth best tennis player on the planet is a fantastic achievement in itself. Henman was unfairly labelled a 'bottler' for failing to make a Grand Slam final. Murray has at least made three - but seems to have hit a mental glass ceiling, crumbling in all of them. A few years ago, Nadal and Roger Federer were carving up the major titles between them and now Novak Djokovic has emerged as, arguably, the best player in the world right now with his astonishing 42-match winning streak. He will confirm the number spot if he defeats Roger Federer to reach the Roland Garros final.
Murray has shown he has the quality to beat anyone in individual matches and go deep into every Grand Slam draw. But to finally rid himself of the 'bottler' tag, he must find greater consistency and, most importantly, the right mentality to take his chances when they arrive. Then, and only then, will he develop the aura of invincibility that terrifies opponents of Nadal, Federer and Djokovic.
Friday, June 03, 2011
You and Hughes' army?
In the next few weeks, we will know whether or not Mark Hughes's decision to ditch Fulham after less than a year of wedded bliss was a brilliant career move or an agent-driven act of attention-seeking.
You should always give someone the benefit of any doubt - well, maybe not always - so most bloggers, tweeters and Cottagers assumed Hughes must have had another job lined up to jump ship and risk the wrath of Mohamed Al-Fayed (or perhaps that Michael Jackson statue was just a step too far for Sparky...). Certainly Hughes's assertion that "as a young, ambitious manager I wish to move on to further my experiences" suggested he was simply switching dugouts rather than taking a break.
When the news broke early on Thursday evening, with Hughes reportedly a target for managerless Aston Villa, it seemed merely a formality that the former Manchester United and Chelsea striker would be on his way to Villa Park. But then journalists in the know, like the BBC's peerless Pat Murphy and the Birmingham Mail's Mat Kendrick (who first broke the exclusive earlier in the week that Houllier would be leaving) began hearing that Villa weren't actually interested in Hughes.
The Welshman's claim that his resignation had "not been influenced by any outside party" seemed unlikely, given the timing. But once it emerged Villa had another man as their top target (Carlo Ancelotti, Martin Jol or Steve McClaren would seem the most likely), it seemed that either Hughes had his eye on another vacant post, or was taking a massive gamble in leaving behind a secure job and Europa League football for a period in the wilderness until a bigger club came a-calling.
Perhaps his agent Kia Joorabchian (yes, him of the Tevez/West Ham affair) felt Hughes's Chelsea connections might land him the job at Stamford Bridge. Maybe that's more likely than it might seem - Chelsea skipper John Terry stated today Hughes was "someone that hopefully the club will be talking to". Now, he may be away on England duty, but it seems unlikely that Terry would not be kept in the loop as to the possible identity of the club's new boss. Was everyone's favourite Dad of the Year dropping a hint? It might explain Hughes's hasty exit, and actually wouldn't be a crazy move by Roman Abramovich (particularly if Guus Hiddink makes himself unavailable).
But what of Villa? Speaking as a long-suffering supporter myself, I'd be wary of the club appointing someone like McClaren, who will immediately split fan opinion in spite of his achievements at club level. What Villa needs, after the divise Gerard Houllier reign, is unity and a sense of collective purpose. It's what Martin O'Neill brought after the shambles of the David O'Leary era - someone like Hughes, Ancelotti or the cuddly Jol would certain provide it.
You should always give someone the benefit of any doubt - well, maybe not always - so most bloggers, tweeters and Cottagers assumed Hughes must have had another job lined up to jump ship and risk the wrath of Mohamed Al-Fayed (or perhaps that Michael Jackson statue was just a step too far for Sparky...). Certainly Hughes's assertion that "as a young, ambitious manager I wish to move on to further my experiences" suggested he was simply switching dugouts rather than taking a break.
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| SPARKY'S DREAM: Is Hughes Villa-bound...or might Chelsea be a more likely destination? |
When the news broke early on Thursday evening, with Hughes reportedly a target for managerless Aston Villa, it seemed merely a formality that the former Manchester United and Chelsea striker would be on his way to Villa Park. But then journalists in the know, like the BBC's peerless Pat Murphy and the Birmingham Mail's Mat Kendrick (who first broke the exclusive earlier in the week that Houllier would be leaving) began hearing that Villa weren't actually interested in Hughes.
The Welshman's claim that his resignation had "not been influenced by any outside party" seemed unlikely, given the timing. But once it emerged Villa had another man as their top target (Carlo Ancelotti, Martin Jol or Steve McClaren would seem the most likely), it seemed that either Hughes had his eye on another vacant post, or was taking a massive gamble in leaving behind a secure job and Europa League football for a period in the wilderness until a bigger club came a-calling.
Perhaps his agent Kia Joorabchian (yes, him of the Tevez/West Ham affair) felt Hughes's Chelsea connections might land him the job at Stamford Bridge. Maybe that's more likely than it might seem - Chelsea skipper John Terry stated today Hughes was "someone that hopefully the club will be talking to". Now, he may be away on England duty, but it seems unlikely that Terry would not be kept in the loop as to the possible identity of the club's new boss. Was everyone's favourite Dad of the Year dropping a hint? It might explain Hughes's hasty exit, and actually wouldn't be a crazy move by Roman Abramovich (particularly if Guus Hiddink makes himself unavailable).
But what of Villa? Speaking as a long-suffering supporter myself, I'd be wary of the club appointing someone like McClaren, who will immediately split fan opinion in spite of his achievements at club level. What Villa needs, after the divise Gerard Houllier reign, is unity and a sense of collective purpose. It's what Martin O'Neill brought after the shambles of the David O'Leary era - someone like Hughes, Ancelotti or the cuddly Jol would certain provide it.
Back on the blog...
As alt-rock band Staind once whined, it's been a while - but I'm now returning to give this blog the care and attention it deserves.
It has sat here, in the blogosphere, lost and lonely and feeling unloved, for far too long now. We never had a falling out or anything - I just took it for granted, eyeing up much more flashier and attractive web 2.0 outlets, while my reliable Blogger account loyally sat here patiently waiting for me to return.
So now, with my tail duly between my legs, I've come home. And my first target is someone else who has assumed the grass is greener elsewhere...
It has sat here, in the blogosphere, lost and lonely and feeling unloved, for far too long now. We never had a falling out or anything - I just took it for granted, eyeing up much more flashier and attractive web 2.0 outlets, while my reliable Blogger account loyally sat here patiently waiting for me to return.
So now, with my tail duly between my legs, I've come home. And my first target is someone else who has assumed the grass is greener elsewhere...
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