“It is a risk” Barry Cowan puzzled by Andy Murray’s surprise appearance at the Madrid Open
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Andy Murray and Barry Cowan
Andy Murray has always been one of the most phenomenal players of his generation. But that does not mean that the world no. 81 is exceptional on every surface. The former world no. 1 has always had a weak spot in clay and returning to the Madrid Open is a sudden decision that surprised many.
Andy Murray had previously stated that he would be skipping the entire clay-court season along with the French Open. The entry into the Madrid Open tournament is now questioned by former world no. 3 Barry Cowen as to why the British star is taking such a risk.
Barry Cowen, a fellow Brit and former world no. 3 said, “If we go back to Indian Wells, Murray has not always played his best tennis in the desert compared to Miami because of the lighter conditions. Madrid is at altitude and Murray will go back to the fact that he has won that title before, but that’s on the back of playing a lot more matches.”
“It was something that I never thought would happen because of what happened the last time he played on clay. He was uncomfortable on it, in terms of his movement. He felt the transition from going to hard to clay and then back to the grass, which, let’s be honest, is the most important part of Andy Murray’s season, is making sure he’s fit for the grass,” said Barry speaking with Skysports.
Barry Cowen skeptical about Andy Murray’s return to clay
Former world no. 1 Andy Murray’s experience on clay has not been the best. The British star last played on the clay surface last year in the French Open and lost in the first round against three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka.
One of the reasons why the Brit is playing the tournament could be because of needing to play tournaments as practice for the grass surface seasons, as the last tournament he played was against Daniil Medvedev at the Miami Open tournament in which he lost in the second round itself and Cowen was quick to point these things. Cowen also feels that since the Madrid Open is at a higher altitude, the ball will move faster which is not one of the greatest specialities of Murray and is more suited for the likes of Reilly Opelka or John Isner.
“It’s something he( Andy Murray) has spoken to Ivan Lendl at length about and they feel that’s the right thing to do. Having had that practice in Miami on the clay, he obviously felt his body was right. He obviously felt that playing in Madrid, getting a wildcard and playing some matches, is a positive.
“I thought that maybe if he felt he could play some matches that he could play at a Challenger on the hard. I’m sure it’s not something he would have woke up and thought ‘I’m going to do it’. I’m sure it was something he would have thought about. But Madrid is so unique. The conditions are not like a clay-court as such. It is super, super quick. You only have to look at some of the players who have done well there over the years. It’s the type of place where John Isner likes to play and the type of place where Reilly Opelka could do some damage.”
The world no. 1 will face Austrian player Dominic Thiem in their first match with the latter himself still recovering from a long time wrist injury. It will definitely be the match to look out for the season.
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Harini Mahesh
(159 Articles Published)