Australian Open 2012: Semifinal Loss a Step Forward for Andy Murray

There are two very different ways of looking at Andy Murray's 2012 Australian Open semifinal heartbreaker against Novak Djokovic.

Some will see it as a step backward.  Murray owns no Grand Slams but he is a two-time consecutive finalist at the Australian Open.  Losing in the semifinal has to feel heartbreaking.

The other way is to look at the quality of the match.  Murray may have lost but he played an unbelievable game.  It was the best tennis I have ever seen from him.  Even more important, he showed an aggressiveness and grit that he never had before at any other point in his career.

The old Andy Murray would have lost this match in straight sets.  Beaten 6-3 in the first after some aggressive plays backfired, he would have recoiled into his defensive mold and watched Djokovic blow him off the court with big forehands.  In fact, my biggest fear for the match was exactly that: Murray would come out aggressive, lose a set, and crawl back in his shell.

I even wrote about it here.

But Murray shocked me!  Down but not out, he played an even more aggressive second set and won it 6-3.  Even better, he kept the momentum through the third set and had Djokovic on the ropes when he won the tiebreaker, set up a 2-1 set lead, and had the Serb on the ropes.

Unfortunately for Murray, he took his foot off the gas pedal in the fourth set.  Inexplicably, he let Djokovic crush him 6-1, regain momentum, and close out the final set 7-5.  But, his gritty play, particularly in the fourth set, was very new.  When Murray lost the first set in each of his two previous finals appearances, in 2010 and 2011, he went on to lose both matches in straight sets.  Neither was particularly competitive, but he stayed the course in this match and almost came away with the victory.

Murray was very close to a signature, career-defining win.  What he did get was a career-changing moment.  Even in defeat Murray was exceptional, and players will never view him the same way.

He may have lost but Murray has arrived.