With yet another Novak Djokovic backhand error, Andy Murray won the season-ending championship and clinched the year-end number 1 ranking. Having been ranked number four and then number two for so long, the Scot was now able to claim to be the best player in the world. Even with a number 1 sitting right next to his name, as the 2017 season began Djokovic and Federer were still seen as the best players in the world. In an era of so many all-time great players, Murray still finds himself searching for validation.
His record in the main finals is not ideal
For someone who has managed to get to number 1 in the world, Andy Murray does not have a great record against the best players in the world when it really matters. Of course, he has three major titles and in an era that has Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic that is an astonishing feat. However, Murray has lost in 8 other finals. That type of losing percentage is not one that makes many people proclaim you as the best player in the world. Whether it is fair or not, overall grand slam titles and wins are viewed as the ultimate barometer in the debate for greatest of all time. Clearly, Murray is not the best, but when someone becomes the world number 1, all parts of their resume are dissected.
Murray turns thirty later this year which means that he does have time to change his major record winning percentage. And with Djokovic still looking to regain his best form, this season might be the year where he can finally gain widespread approval.
His attitude makes him difficult to cheer for
Andy Murray is one of those people that acts very differently on the court then how he is off it.
Off the court, he is very mild mannered and shy in front of the cameras. On the court, he is constantly swearing and yelling at his box. His former coach, Amelie Mauresmo said that it was difficult for her to reconcile the man that she saw on the court and the man that interacted with her off of it. Tennis has had their fair share of hot-tempered men in the past, but with Murray, he does not use that anger to play better.
In the case of John McEnroe, he was easily angered but used that added adrenaline to pump himself up. He was also a mastermind at using the crowd to get under the skin of his opponents. Murray is not a natural showman, so when he gets angry, it just looks like a spoiled little child who did not get his lollipop. As an audience member, it becomes very difficult to side with Murray because you feel slightly embarrassed for his team. Murray is pretty set in his ways, but if he could at least learn how to use the crowd more effectively, it would help garner more support.
