Andy Murray's Strengths, Weaknesses and Keys To Success

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Let's begin with Andy Murray's strengths. Murray has a complete game: There is not a shot that he potentially cannot hit. While some shots may not have as developed as others, a few of the strokes can be considered his strength as well as his defense and ability to counter-punch.

The Backhand

Murray has one of the best, if not the best, double-handed backhand in the game. What makes it a strength is that his backhand is very consistent; he varies it very well and can hit it with a lot of pace when needed.

His backhand down the line is a shot to be feared by his opponents.

The First Serve

Murray has a very good first serve. His serve is extremely accurate; he hits it with loads of pace; he varies the spin very well; and he places it on all areas of the court. His first serve is key if he wants a shot at winning a Grand Slam.

The Sliced Backhand

Murray has one of the best sliced backhands in the game today. What makes his slice so good is that he can put lots of spin on the ball. The shot is penetrating, and there is great disguise on the shot. He also does not make a lot of errors hitting the slice that many top players do.

On The Run Passing Shot

Murray's on-the-run passing shots, which he hits with both backhand and forehand, are one of the most remarkable shots in his cast arsenal. The shot on his forehand side has been said to resemble Sampras. He likes to go cross-court on the forehand side and up the line on the backhand side. For those who want to come to net, beware, whoever doesn't come in on a good approach shot will be burned.

Defense

This one was a given. Murray's defence is right up there with Rafa’s defense. Their ability to retrieve balls is amazing. Murray often relies on his ability to retrieve to force his opponent into error by making them hit one extra shot.

The downside is that the physical toll on the body is enormous, and whether he can keep it up for the duration of a Grand Slam remains to be seen.

Counter-punching

This is the bread and butter to Murray’s whole game. It’s his style. Though his counter-punching is not a good as Rafa’s (for various reasons), Murray is able to turn defense to offense in a matter of seconds.

This is vastly helped by getting so many balls back. He will wait until there is a short ball and then pounce on it like a cat.

Improvisation

Most notably, he improvises his game on the spot with great instinct. He pulls out his weapons tactically on right time, as if custom-made for each opponent, and prevents his opponents from getting any rhythm. This leaves them frustrated and clueless.

In Murray's game there are a couple of "weaknesses," that a player could potentially exploit:

The Second Serve

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