It was certainly impressive- dismantling one of the best grass court players over the last 10 years in two straightforward sets in the manner Andy Murray did is definitely impressive.
Andy Murray was brilliant today as he beat Andy Roddick far easier than anyone could have possibly expected. He returned magnificently, he served brilliantly, and it seemed no shot was outside of the realms of possibility as winners and dropshots peppered Roddick into submission.
All of the above was true, but listening to some of the commentary and analysis on the BBC today was quite unnerving- do these people watch as little tennis as it sounds like they do? But it wasn't just the BBC that seemed to go overboard while watching this win over a good solid tennis player like Roddick, it seemed the media as a whole descended into 'crazy cuckoo land' on Twitter (I will exempt @simoncaney from this as he was in the minority who spoke with some sense).
Some people said this match proved Murray WILL win Wimbledon, others described it as 'his best ever performance', while the 'experts' on the BBC were talking about Murray in terms exceeding the current top 3 players in the World.
Now don't get me wrong, I was impressed with the performance today. But lets not forget that Andy Roddick is seriously under prepared in terms of match fitness of late and this week saw him win his first match on tour since March. Beating Andy Roddick will not lead to a Grand Slam win at Wimbledon (or in any other Grand Slam tournament in my opinion)- there is still the small matter of beating two of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer to negotiate no matter what.
I heard many times that no one in the World could have lived with the tennis Murray produced today- I would argue that the top 3 players are the top 3 players because they look to do something different when things are not going to plan. Today Andy Roddick tried to continue with the game plan he had, hoping that Murray would begin missing more than anything else. There was no variation in the shots, the serve was not being placed very well, and the approach shot was not deep enough to cause Murray troubles, but did Roddick do anything different in the two sets?
The likes of Nadal, Djokovic and Federer will change their approach, either becoming more aggressive or changing the rhythm of their shots. Mentally they are also on a different plane to any of the other players Murray can meet on the tour.
So while the top 3 may have struggled with the way Andy Murray was playing, I can't help but feel they would not ALLOW Murray to keep playing in the same manner without making tactical changes, something Roddick failed to do.
The average viewer of the tennis may remember Roddick from previous performances at Wimbledon, but it is clear the American is not playing up to a great level at this moment, but that is something the media choose to ignore, building up expectations of the average fan rather than try to tone them down.
Instead they are perhaps looking to build up Murray so all the articles about 'lack of mental strength', and how he 'should stop shouting at his team if he wants to win a Grand Slam' can be rolled out on July 4th if Andy Murray fails to win Wimbledon this year.
With Federer, Djokovic and Nadal all in the draw, there is still a long road ahead for Murray to finally satisfy the British public's need for a Men's Wimbledon Champion.
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