The Big Game...

[1ozzy]

...Is about to start.
The Joker and Andy are walking onto the court.
So who will win??

[jim360]

You didn't ave much longer to wait, sadly... from 2-0 in the third, 12/13 games for Djokovic. How the hell did he manage that?!

Oh well. Just a little bit too much of a gap still between him and Djokovic, as there has been for over a year now. But at least he's back in the top four, and I fancy him to overtake Federer and Nadal before the year is out.

[ummmm]

Bad luck Andy :-(

[ladybirder]

Luck?

[Sqad]

Since ditching Lendl, he has lost that mental toughness.

[jim360]

If I understand the story correctly, Lendl ditched him if anything -- unable to commit to the job full-time as he rediscovered his own love for tennis and started to play more on the seniors circuit.

It will be interesting to see how 2015 pans out for Murray. I expect him to do pretty well this year as he's looking near his best again.

[Butterbun]

I'm gutted!

[tamborine]

Cant belive Andy lost when Djoko suffered so many aches & pains.

[Prudie]

I'm secretly with ladybirder but sorry to Andy's supporters, I know it's upsetting when our favourite loses. He did well to get to the final at least.

[jim360]

It's obviously a shame when Murray loses but lately he's not been looking quite as competitive against Nadal, Djokovic and Federer. In the heady days of 2009-2013 he was beating Federer and Djokovic as often as losing to them, but since January 2014 he's had a 0-10 record in competitive matches against those three (or 1-10 if you count beating Nadal in an exhibition recently). It's rather frustrating, although perhaps it's unfair to count all of 2014 as he looked in poor form for the first 8 months or so. I hope in 2015 he manages to get back to 50-50 against the top guys. If not then at least he's ahead of the rest of them again, fine wins over Dimitrov and Berdych, but what made the "big four" rivalries interesting was that they were genuinely competitive.

[campbellking]

Why is there always the temptation to blame his female coach when he loses?
After all, he'd already lost 2 Australian Open finals before he employed her, and is having to recover from having major back surgery.

[tamborine]

Methinks Djo has sniffed a line. How else could he recover sprained thumb & ankle.....drug test?

[ladybirder]

That is some accusation tambo. Wow!

[Butterbun]

Don't think so Tambo, they are all regularly drug-tested. Andy is nearly back to his best, he had major back surgery, remember? I'm pleased he'll be back to no.4 ranking, and to come second when playing the three best players in the world out of thousands, in my book, is a great achievement. First Brit male in 77 years to win any majors.

[jim360]

Yes, I suppose we should take the positives. I do hope he will be competitive at all levels in 2015, rather than in 2014 when he was second-best to most people in the top ten. At least he looks back to being above the rest.

Next tournament for Murray is Rotterdam, where he should be #1 seed. Important for him to at least get to the final of that one, build on his good form.

[kylesmum]

Well done to Andy getting to the final, I reckon he was tired but that's no excuse that he'll ever use.

Isn't it good to see such support for a fellow Brit?
I always support any Brit in any form of competition !

Seemingly others don't and I don't think i'm the only one baffled by that...they may even be baffled themselves but I daresay the old rhetoric will be used as an excuse despite Englishmen being as baffled and having to defend him.
He is always polite, does what he has to do and is well renowned to be very funny off court.

There's none as blind as those who don't want to see.

I don't suppose he'll lose sleep over it and neither will I...just thought it sad that we can't support our own and actively will him to lose :/

[tonyav]

Andy Murray say's he was distracted.
http://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/other/murray-admits-distractions/ar-AA8QYSt

[tamborine]

Novak went off-court for mid break.....maybe cortisone spike? Andy never left the court.