Andy Murray

Cynical media types, unable to see beyond the apparent British malaise that seems to afflict all our sports people these days, will look at Andy Murray’s defeat to 14th seed, Fernando Verdasco, in the fourth round of the Australian Open and say to themselves ‘here we go again.’ This is a sentiment, time and time again rejected within these columns and this blip in Murray’s meteoric rise to Grand Slam contender, causes us no loss of faith in the Scot to eventually deliver the goods.

Intelligent tennis betting fans can see that Murray has now completed the task of honing his skills to near perfection and his focus is now almost totally in place. So what’s missing? As a close follower of Murray’s steady career path, my humble view is that he needs now to ratchet-up his focus to Grand Slam level. He’s already shown he can beat Federer and Nadal in Cincinnati and in two Masters series. Now he needs to recognise that the zone of the Grand Slams is a special place and only those who realise this will be granted entry.

If there’s one thing that Murray has shown us over the years, it is his capacity to learn. His attention to the teachings which his experiences bring to him is second to none. This defeat will serve only to broaden his understanding of the game and intensify his resolve to win. Murray’s time will come – I have seen it in his eyes.