[doublebagel]

DB,

Sleep well. It is not yet 8.00pm where I am so I will watch the Federer or Berdych matches. I hold no allegiances but would like to see some more upsets now that Andy is out.

If Andy is losing I do not follow MW during the match. I suggest it helps your sanity.

3am here.  Should really get some sleep.  I agree that avoiding match threads when Andy is losing is probably wise if I want to stay happy here.  And yet, I refuse to be driven away from threads I want to take part in.  If people can't exercise a little self-control perhaps they should stay out of the match threads.  It clearly matters to them not a jot that they constantly anger and upset others.

[Geo]

Did anyone else spot Shooter McGavin from Happy Gilmore (Christopher McDonald) in the front row at the top end of the court?

[The Gnome]

  losing at the USO is always the worst one, no more slams in the year. His game though has improved since last year but his negative attitude on the court is starting to become a concern again. Let's be honest here, if he really is more relaxed as he says he is with his personal life now settled with a wife and a child on the way, then why doesn't he look like it on court? Under Lendl he won his slams because he reigned in his on court antics, now he's back to smashing racquets and snarling at his box again, whining about the smallest things. I still think he can win slams again, but he won't until he changes his game. He does far too much running around, playing passively and waiting for his opponents to wilt.

By the way, i really hope Stan doesn't win this now. The thought of him having 3 slams is depressing.

[marathonarthur]

Andy came up against an inspired player today, Kanderson was playing the match of his life and Andy did well to hang with him. But i feel the exertions of his 2 masters runs in Canada and Cincy finally caught up with him. He's looked flat since the start, and add to that the cold he picked up, it was too much in the end. I hope in the future he gets a bit more realistic with his schedule. I personally think his DC efforts are impacting his game, he just looks tired out.

Suspect it was playing 11 sets before this match with a head cold much of the time that left him in bed recovering was more the reason for tiredness than Davis Cup a while ago. He suffered after that with an immediate change of surface so that he was not prepared for Washington but by Montreal and Cinci he was  fit and because he was successful to win one and semi in the other he did play a lot but I doubt was tired the week before US Open.

I think that he had got it about right but the cold did the damage. He is by nature an opportunist. To win you have to be there to do so. You could enter more events and play less. I think he has a good chance to make the final of the Davis Cup with GB. He may well play in three matches again but he does not have to play much soon after (probably do the 1000 series and a warm up event on the Asian swing) to fulfil his ATP commitments so he can be fresher for O2 which suits him as he will be at 'home' for that and then after he can play himself into the ground, if he wishes, in the Final of Davis Cup. He has little he needs play in before the Australian Open but will be wanting to do his training block!  He will of course have a lighter schedule next year for an important event - the birth of his first child.

[marathonarthur]

ABF,

What the press and we judge him on is probably not what he measures his success on. The O2 has a value to players. For him it may be to succeed where he has failed before? We know Andy values that and the Davis Cup as he is a patriot who supports sport in GB as well as Scotland. This very much showed with the Olympics.

[ABF]

ABF,

What the press and we judge him on is probably not what he measures his success on. The O2 has a value to players. For him it may be to succeed where he has failed before? We know Andy values that and the Davis Cup as he is a patriot who supports sport in GB as well as Scotland. This very much showed with the Olympics.

Yes..Andy will no doubt have his own measures... but as a watching spectator I have mine... they are unrelated of course... so what tho..its just an opinion ..everyone should have one. Its not a judgement ... just an opinion.

[Murray Magic]

I had one eye on the match thread but came off it pretty quickly.  How some posters on here can call themselves Murray fans is beyond me and if some use the excuse of caring so much it turns them into a cycle of negativity - I would say - get a life, it's a tennis match.  Like Scotnadian, I have supported Murray since watching him play the Aberdeen Cup, a long, long time ago.  He will never have the consistency or robotic nature of Djokovic or Federer, if you want that switch allegiance.  He is a unique, Heart on sleeve, instinctive player.  Utter genius one minute and groan  inducing the next.  He's exciting, enthralling and different.  He is one of the best sportsman, this country has ever produced.
Last night he came up against a player who was red lining everything, played with power, precision and out of his skin.  It happens, Federer and Nadal have suffered early slam defeats before.  The guy was struggling with illness it has been plain to see, that is another thing that is beyond his control. 
The Davis Cup has not helped, he has the weight of a nation on his shoulders, what other country relies so heavily on one player? He obviously wants to win it so badly and I hope he does so that thereafter , he can walk away having done his bit.  GB's position in the DC belies it's tennis ability and despite heroics from other lesser ranked players, at this level only Andy can secure the win.  I hope after the SF clash and hopefully a finals play off, he gets the recognition he deserves and calls it a day playing DC or at least until Scotland is independent then he can lead Team Scotland!!!
Sure last nights result was disappointing but there are mitigating circumstances - it's not like he went out there and inexplicably lost, he left his guts on that court last night and it wasn't to be. 
As I say if this result leaves people in despair and wallowing I would say get a life or apply a bit of perspective - dissapointing - very much so but he lives to fight another day and is a million miles from where he was this time last year when he had dropped out if the top ten and was fighting for his place at the 02.  Can remember a few threads back then predicting he would never get back to the top, his career was over, he should retire etc etc etc.  Look what the DC win did for Djokovic, turned him into superhuman so there is still a lot to look forward to for the rest of the year. 
Who cares what measures people use to denote success in a players career - Andy Murray is the greatest tennis player in the modern era to come from these isles  - there won't be another in my lifetime - enjoy it while you can and appreciate it as we really don't know what we've got till its gone.
To the doom merchants on this site - he lives to fight another day, Lendl has gone, he's still in the top 3, he's qualified for the O2 and if he disappoints you that much then move along to Djokovic's World or Federer's World - maybe not Nadal's world, he's having a bit of a struggle right now!!!

[boogers]

Well, that was a surprise. Sounds like a pretty poor performance and the stats seem to back it up. Given that his game has hardly progressed over the last three years this is probably the end of road as far as winning slams goes.