What Andy Murray's Loss to Kei Nishikori Means for Australian Open 2017

Andy Murray's quest for a second U.S. Open title was upended on Wednesday when he was defeated by No. 6 seeded Kei Nishikori in five sets in the quarterfinals.

ESPN tweeted why Murray's loss was so notable:

It wasn't a terrible performance by the three-time Grand Slam champion, but he fell into some of the same bad habits that have hampered his play in the past. The fourth set in particular was a return to his younger days when his frustration more frequently got the better of him.

A mysterious gong sound echoing through Arthur Ashe Stadium stopped play at one point, drawing Murray's ire. Then, a butterfly began flying on the court, which visibly irritated him to the point that he swung at the butterfly before it was carried off the court.

Murray had a chance to win the match up 5-4 in the fifth set but couldn't break Nishikori's serve. From there, the 26-year-old Japanese star sealed the victory.

Despite entering Flushing Meadows, New York, as the No. 2 seed, Murray has been arguably the hottest player on the planet. He won his second career Wimbledon title by defeating Milos Raonic and successfully defended his Olympic gold medal after knocking off Juan Martin del Potro in Rio.  

Murray had all the momentum he needed to make this the first year in which he won multiple Grand Slam titles. He reached the finals at the year's first three Grand Slam tournaments, losing at the Australian Open and French Open to Novak Djokovic. 

The U.S. Open has been one of the Scot's most consistent Grand Slam tournaments. He made it to at least the quarterfinals in four straight years before falling in the fourth round last year. 

The major turnaround for Murray seemed to come before Wimbledon when he got back together with instructor Ivan Lendl for the first time in two years. 

Lendl was working with Murray from 2011-14, during which time the 29-year-old won the U.S. Open and an Olympic gold medal in 2012 and Wimbledon in 2013. 

Former Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek told reporters (via ESPN's Tristan Barclay) the return of Lendl was a sign that Murray wanted to get where Djokovic is at: "He was so close at the French, and he just needs a little bit more. Maybe Lendl, just having him there, is the last thing he needs [to win]."

All of Murray's preparation for the U.S. Open—specifically, Djokovic—make his loss to Nishikori harder to swallow.

He's undoubtedly one of the best players in the world, currently ranked second in the ATP standings, but this is a disappointing end to what has been an amazing summer for the 29 year old. 

Looking ahead to the Australian Open, Murray is going to be under an intense microscope. This year hasn't been a failure, by any means. He's unfortunately playing in an era that went from Roger Federer being arguably the greatest player in the history of the sport to Djokovic making his case for that title. 

Murray has had success at the Australian Open in the past, reaching the final five times since 2010, but he's lost to Djokovic in the title match four times and Federer once. 

Yet, his inability to get over the hump against Djokovic in the Australian Open does not bode well for his chances to finally get his breakthrough down under. Unless he is able to avoid Novak, which he was able to do at Wimbledon and the Olympics, he will have to conquer the world's best player before earning his fourth Grand Slam title.