5 Things Andy Murray Must Accomplish to Have a Successful 2015 Season
Andy Murray almost experienced as many high-profile changes in his professional and personal life in 2014 as Novak Djokovic won tennis matches. It is necessary, then, to recalibrate Murray's position in the game and uncover what he must accomplish to make 2015 a success.
Less than a year after parting ways with coach Ivan Lendl, Murray and long-time training partner Dani Vallverdu also split, with Grand Slam winner Amelie Mauresmo the latest appointment.
Murray also went all of 2014 without beating any of the game's top three players—Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
The aforementioned alterations and other key features of Murray's year will be considered in the following slides as the path to a successful 2015 is mapped out.
Get Used to His New Coaching Setup
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Present to an athlete consistency in one hand and a title in the other and most will seize the former, hoping that it doesn't slip away.
This is why Andy Murray's coaching shakeup promises to be one of the more intriguing storylines of his season. Background consistency can maintain a career, while a single title might just cause a momentary spike.
The Scot will be surreptitious about whether the departures of Dani Vallverdu, Jez Green and, to a lesser extent given the months he's been gone, Ivan Lendl have had a detrimental impact. Although results might do the talking for him.
Behind Murray's prolific end-of-season form and surge to the World Tour Finals was Amelie Mauresmo.
If Mauresmo can help Murray hold onto his momentum—any athletes' second best friend—then 2015 could see him embark on a meaningful trek to a Grand Slam final.
His old mentor, Sergio Casal, told Darren Cooney of the Daily Record that "the important thing is he is connected with champions", alluding to Mauresmo's two Grand Slams.
It would clearly be wrong to suggest that Murray couldn't have won his two majors without his former coaching setup, but the time it takes to get accustomed to the new changes will be intriguing nonetheless.
Rediscover a Way to Beat the Top Three
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Murray's nine matches against the top three last season yielded little satisfaction.
This seems strange when you consider that Murray only played a combined three matches against Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in 2013 but still had a favourable 2-1 record.
Of course, back issues will be cited as one cause among many for Murray's failure to beat some of the most dominant players in the sport's history.
But there is more to it than that. Murray's back issues were well behind him when Federer almost completed a remarkable double bagel at the World Tour Finals.
To have won only three sets against Djokovic, Federer and Rafa Nadal and lost 21 in 2014 paints a subtler picture than one only coloured by Murray's injuries.
He was also knocked out by all three of the holy trinity at Grand Slams this year.
Whether victory over any of them will lead to a third Grand Slam in 2015 is unclear. What is certain, though, is that his chances of success will be partly defined by whether this particular barren spell reaches a cut-off point.
Don't Discount the Masters 1000 Events
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Patience may wear thin in some quarters if Murray doesn't at least reach a Grand Slam final this season. A win in one of the Masters 1000 events would perhaps earn him some respite.
Murray didn't progress past the quarter-final stage of any of the eight tournaments he took part in this year. While there were some predictable defeats, most notably to Rafa Nadal on clay in Rome, there was also a disappointing straight-sets loss to Santiago Giraldo, ranked No. 46 at the time, in Madrid.
Although the Grand Slams are at the root of his desire, reaching a final or even winning one of the nine Masters tournaments spread throughout the year would give Murray confidence.
The momentum gained over the last couple of months came from victories that were perhaps expected of him. Winning a Masters event would almost certainly mean beating Novak Djokovic, given his 20 titles in these tournaments, something Murray hasn't done since the Wimbledon final in 2013.
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Find a Way Back into the Top 4
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Murray's late charge prevented him from finishing the year on the edge of the top 10, something unthinkable for a man who had won Wimbledon less than 18 months previously.
In the year-end rankings, only Kei Nishikori's U.S. Open run and Stan Wawrinka's Australian Open and Monte Carlo double kept Murray from the top five.
However, at this point next year, the 27-year-old will almost certainly see anything lower than the top four as not good enough.
Leon Smith, Great Britain's Davis Cup captain, told James Morgan of the Evening Times that Murray will be "very fit, very strong and challenging for the Grand Slams in 2015."
If this prediction proves accurate, then a top-four finish will be a certainty. It seems unlikely there will be the same urgency to win as many titles as he did at the end of this season, so progression in the Grand Slams will be key.
Reach a Grand Slam Final
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In reality, if Murray were to win another Grand Slam, then the majority of the aforementioned prerequisites for success could be discarded.
The major titles are how Murray will be remembered when he becomes consigned to archives rather than taking up his position on the court.
As impressive as his resilience was in the final few months of the season, few will reminisce about that run, instead looking to his first Slam in New York followed by the home title at Wimbledon.
If Murray were to reach a final in 2015, there would be a sense that he is returning to his former self. However, talk of being pleased with merely reaching the final at any tournament is anathema to players like Murray.
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