March 26, (THEWILL) – Andy Murray’s first half of the season came to a halt on Saturday when he was put under persistent pressure by one of the top players in the world and was unable to withstand it long enough.
In their second round match at the Miami Open, Daniil Medvedev, the top seed, was simply too consistent for Murray, winning in straight sets 6-4, 6-2.
Murray did not have a particularly awful game over all, despite the one-sided scoreline. In the first set, he served reasonably well, winning 83 percent of his first-serve points, and he was competitive in the majority of the predictable long exchanges.
He also hit his forehand well. However, an error-plagued service game at 1-1 in the first set ruined any positive work he had managed until then.
Medvedev became better as the match proceeded, despite Murray’s best efforts. He gave so little away while keeping impeccable depth with his groundstrokes that he eventually began to pick apart Murray’s shaky second serve, winning 73 percent of games in the second set behind it.
Murray exited without a breakpoint, a difficult statistic to stomach for such a well-known returner.
The Scot will be able to take a breather following an uneventful start to the season, during which he has been unable to capitalise on the promise he demonstrated by reaching the final in Sydney in January.
The bulk of his tournaments have gone in the same direction, with him winning his first-round matches, then facing a seeded player in the second round and losing in two close sets. As an unseeded player who relies on wildcards to get into events, the majority of his draws have been difficult, and only a few have gone his way.
As THEWILL reported, Murray has decided not to compete in the clay court season, so he will begin a training block with his sights set on the grass season and Wimbledon.
He will have a lot to think about when he re-starts working with his coach, Ivan Lendl, who was in his box in Miami, and tries to make more improvement in the second half of the year.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
