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[Grabcopy]

Junior is merely part of Alex Bogomolov's name. But so pitifully embarrassing was Andy Murray's 6-1 7-5 defeat at the American's hands this afternoon at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami that it might as well have been his playing status.

The match marked the second Masters tournament in a row in which Murray has been summarily dismissed by a qualifier in his first match, following his loss at Indian Wells to Donald Young.

The Scot, who today unveiled Dani Vallverdu as his full-time coach, will be particularly disappointed with his miserable serving, winning just 44% of his service points and being broken no fewer than seven times.

Three of those breaks came in the first set, including in the very first game of the match, as the Moscow-born American romped away into the Floridian sunset, with Murray looking increasingly short of ideas and motivation.

Read more (128 words)

The British number one started the second set more positively, breaking in the first game. However, the next three games also went against serve, before both players eventually held to make it 3-3.

The 118th-ranked Bogomolov broke again for a 5-3 lead, before Murray provided a glimmer of hope by breaking back for 5-5. He was unable to maintain the burst of enthusiasm, however, and bowed out of Miami in woeful style.

Murray has now failed to win a single set since beating David Ferrer in the semi-final of the Australian Open in January. While he claims to be in a better frame of mind than at this time last year, when he suffered a similar alarming slump, anyone watching this toothless display would surely beg to differ.

Murray's comments

I've been practising better and training hard but on the match court I can’t get anything going. I am p***** off. I don’t want to be playing like this. There was no intensity and my movement was so poor. I don’t know exactly what it is.

I didn't play particularly well. He hardly missed at all in the first set. Made it very difficult for me … he moved the ball around.

There was no consistency on any part of my game, really.

It was just everything really. I didn't play particularly well. He hardly missed at all in the first set, made it very difficult for me. Then I was trying to find a way in the second set, and I just couldn't get anything going at all.

I was trying to get myself back into the match, trying to find ways, trying to run balls down, but I just didn't have that spark.

When you're not playing that well and you're struggling a little bit, you start to miss balls by a few inches, then it is net cords or whatever, challenges and stuff, they seem to go against you more.

In practice I have been competing well, especially this week, chasing everything down, playing a lot of good points and feeling good. Then in the matches I haven't been able to get it going at all.

Competing is something that I have been been able to do well the last few years. It's not that (competing). It's my game. My game was poor.

If you look at the amount of mistakes I made compared with normal and where I was actually hitting the ball...pretty much right in the middle of the court, you can't win playing like that.

You can't win playing the ball in the middle of the court and making 30, 40, unforced errors in a two set match.

[Grabcopy]

Didn't see a single ball...

[Lurking]

Should have just withdrawn if he isn't interested.

[Grabcopy]

As the lassie said to the soldier.  Go away, you fake! 

I got a good sense of what went on by trailing through the forum on here. It didn't sound pretty.

The news about Vallverdu being appointed coach is interesting, although the rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic phrase comes to mind.

[Daisy]

although the rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic phrase comes to mind.

[FCR]

I feel sorry for those spectators who paid good money to see such a pathetic match.  With prize money of $3,645,00 up for grabs, I wonder how much AM picked up for his 6 games.  A nice little earner, but I'd be embarrassed to collect it.  Maybe he'll donate it to Japan. 

Having appointed his friend Vallverdu as his coach, perhaps there's hope yet for James Corden to join Team Murray.  It couldn't get any worse.

[Mark]

although the rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic phrase comes to mind.

[Elly]

What credentials does Dani Vallverdu have that warrants him coaching a top tennis player? What does he know about the necessities of winning at top tournaments? It's obvious his tennis coaching staff situation is getting stale, if not mouldy and is in dire need of change. He has the money to get the best and should do that. Sadly even that might not be enough and I feel he will always be an unfulfilled player!

If you look at all great players, they have the drive, positiveness and determination and would be willing to die on the court  if necessary. He sadly lacks this. His big problem is, that he is a naturally defensive player and that is and always will be his Achilles heel.





 

Defensive player, defensive person?