Men's Tennis: Andy Murray Suffers a Third Straight Loss at Miami

This is something noteworthy. Andy Murray, the hitherto great challenger to Federer and Nadal, has today posted a fourth straight loss. Well, to be really technical, it's kind of a third straight loss, if one counts the Miami ATP Masters as his third straight tournament at which he has failed to win a match.

This sort of statistic is something of concern. Murray, clearly, hasn't gotten over the blue which overwhelmed him in the wake of losing a third straight Grand Slam final, when Novak Djokovic pounded him into submission in Melbourne for a 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 victory. Since that match, in fact, Murray, hasn't even posted a set against anyone on tour. He has lost at Rotterdaam to Marcos Baghdatis, at Indian Wells to Donald Young, and most recently, to Alex Bogomolov at Miami, all in straights. Is there a mental aspect to all this?

One would bet there is. For one thing, it is quite incomprehensible that Murray should have lost to any of these three guys on his best day—we all know how good Murray is. His play has been erratic, mixed and inconsistent, suffering from that syndrome of indecision which so often he himself would inflict on his opponents. There have been brilliant patches in this three-match losing streak but also horrendous and shocking ones.

There is just something a bit disconcerting in hearing that Andy Murray, so fine a player, should have fallen into a three-match losing slump. Top players like him have suffered heavy losses, but none perhaps have taken them as badly as Murray. His loss to Djokovic is likely the real killer. One wouldn't have imagined that he would have lost his next three matches, had he lifted the trophy at Melbourne. The winning drive is, for the moment, lost, as much as he had put all his efforts into winning that final.

We can't fall into the trap of playing down his opponents' efforts either, Baghdatis, Young and Bogomolov have certainly played great matches in downing the Scot. Yet, it is the plague in Murray's mind, the nagging indecision and growing sense of disappointment, that is more serious. So often we see Murray press too much, and especially more in this period of hangover from Melbourne, his flaws protrude more clearly. His less than decisive offensive game proving an issue, even in first-round matches against qualifiers (and in Baghdatis, a very beatable quality player).

At the end, however, it boils down to the mind. For sure, this slump won't last forever, and Murray will certainly find his groove again, this three match losing streak is a brief down period. It is how Murray deals with loss and negativity, perhaps, which is most alarming. Yes, the problems with his game show up, but, as it happens so often, the problems with his attitude show up more. He just seems awfully resigned nowadays, revealing a characteristic pessimism that manifests in his on-court self-questionings and, on occasions, swearing.

Maybe, he would do well to learn from Federer, who seems the eternal optimist. His loss in Australia in 2009 was perhaps no less crushing in spirit than Murray's this year; yet, an optimistic and forward thinking outlook brought him a career year. It was all just about getting deep into tournaments, and finding, eventually, that extra gear and that opportunity to grab what he had desired for so long. Murray, right now, isn't even getting anywhere close to having a chance at getting what he wants, but he would do well to persist.