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[Sir Panda]

Seems to know his stuff.

[matchpoint]

Thought I'd come to terms with it, but I still can't believe how he squandered all those set points; and so regularly shovelled his serve into the net. Seemed like he was unable just to take a moment to compose himself. Yes, nervousness and a lack of self-belief seemed the key.
Would hate him to get into a vicious circle where pressure of expectation, both from himself and the media, regularly constricts his game. Maybe a sports psychologist would help.

[janscribe]

Jean you must join the forum - we have a couple of contributors from New Zealand but not too many from Aussie. Which part are you from? My bro lives in Margaret River and we've been out twice so we know what a lovely country it is.

[Elly]

^ Insightful and interesting post, Aran.  It certainly rings true for me, and what I can read in Andy so far. 

[wilfried onions]

Andy is a paradox, aware and confident of his outstanding tennis talent and at the same time down to earth and humble.  He has respect for his opponents, sometimes too much, and yet knows he can beat them all.  He is more amazed than anyone when he does one of his gasp shots and he wins the point, while beating himself up when he doesn't.  He loses to Federer and the world falls in love with him.  No wonder Federer is fed up with him, Andy took the headlines and won the hearts, while Federer notched up yet another statistic.  Sport is not only about winning, Andy proved that on Sunday.  He was very gracious in defeat, especially considering his opponent's pre-match wind-ups, trying bravely to smile through his disappointment until his emotions got the better of him when he was saying how sorry he was for his team and supporters.  Andy still has a thing or two to learn when it comes to winning against Federer in a Major, but he showed the Swiss maestro up in terms of manners, humility and sincerity.

[drchef]

Andy is a paradox, aware and confident of his outstanding tennis talent and at the same time down to earth and humble.  He has respect for his opponents, sometimes too much, and yet knows he can beat them all.  He is more amazed than anyone when he does one of his gasp shots and he wins the point, while beating himself up when he doesn't.  He loses to Federer and the world falls in love with him.  No wonder Federer is fed up with him, Andy took the headlines and won the hearts, while Federer notched up yet another statistic.  Sport is not only about winning, Andy proved that on Sunday.  He was very gracious in defeat, especially considering his opponent's pre-match wind-ups, trying bravely to smile through his disappointment until his emotions got the better of him when he was saying how sorry he was for his team and supporters.  Andy still has a thing or two to learn when it comes to winning against Federer in a Major, but he showed the Swiss maestro up in terms of manners, humility and sincerity.

I think thats up there as one of the best posts that I've seen on here. Nice one! 

[Aileen]

Would hate him to get into a vicious circle where pressure of expectation, both from himself and the media, regularly constricts his game. Maybe a sports psychologist would help.

I agree, but Andy has shunned the services of a sports psychologist in the past.  However, I've a strong feeling that, particularly coming so soon after his break with his long-term girlfriend (which must have had a huge effect on him, especially as he relied a lot on her support), this is the time he really needs expert help.  His loss to Federer may have been the catalyst which finally blew the cork off the emotional bottle.  Life changes can be very difficult, I know, and people deal with them in their own way.  Andy has support from his family and his team, but this simply may not be enough now.  Seeking professional advice is not an admission of weakness or defeat but a mature acknowledgement that some objective assistance is needed to get over a difficult hurdle in order to move forward.