Andy Murray responds as a startling statistic catches his eye on Twitter
Andy Murray has been reminded about his battle to the top by a tweet that confirmed he took 3,493 days to reach the top of the game after his initial breakthrough to the top ten of the ATP rankings.
Murray had already won an Olympic gold medal, the US Open and Wimbledon before he crowned his career with a rise to the No 1 ranking in 2016.
And the figures published by a Twitter user caught Murray’s eye, as he reflected on his long journey to the top of the rankings.
While current world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz took just 140 days to convert a top ten breakthrough into world No 1 status, Murray was just shy of 3,500 days on his road from a top ten entry to No 1.
I think that’s called perseverance. https://t.co/RhQA28fb5w
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) November 4, 2022
The time lag can be explained by Murray’s challenge of overcoming Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at a time when they were winning tournaments at a relentless rate.
It made his success of finishing 2016 as the year-end No 1 in the ATP rankings all the more impressive.
Those glory days seem some way in the distance for Murray now, after his attempts to get back to the top of the game have come up short in recent months.
His defeat against Giles Simon at the Paris Masters ensured his season ended in disappointment as he suffered from cramping mid-way through the second set, as he admitted he will have to consider his future in the sport unless he finds a winning formula soon.
“I think just the reality is I need to work harder,” stated Murray.
“Obviously, there’s certain things I can and can’t do nowadays, I need to be a bit more careful with some of the training that I do.
“But I can certainly do more than what I have done and push myself harder than what I have done recently. What I’m trying to do is extremely hard. I need to do exceptional things to still compete.
“Having that (cramping) happen after a set and a half on an indoor court where it’s not particularly hot is not really not acceptable.
“There’s no guarantee that I win that match, but when you lose matches, and it feels like it’s down to your physicality, it’s really, really disappointing.”
Murray had hoped to shine in the second half of 2022, but he has struggled to string wins together.
Murray was hopeful of returning more positive results as the tour headed back to North America ahead of the US Open, but that failed to materialise.
“The grasscourt season as a whole there were some good moments, but also some tough ones,” added Murray said.
“The loss at Wimbledon (against John Isner) disappointing and frustrating for me, but then I also had my best wins in a while in Stuttgart.
“(I want) to continue to improve. If I keep seeing progress I’ll continue to keep playing.”
Latest
-
Tennis News
Carlos Alcaraz identifies key Grigor Dimitrov threat as he seeks revenge in Miami showdown
Carlos Alcaraz and Grigor Dimitrov have looked ahead to their Miami Open match.
-
WTA Tour
Charleston Open hand former No 1 wildcard to start her clay season
Wildcards were forthcoming for former world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki, world No 13 Beatriz Haddad Maia, and Charleston-native Shelby Rogers.
-
Tennis News
Former world No 1 weighs in on Iga Swiatek’s ‘aura’ as he makes ‘intimidating’ claim
“The more accomplishments Iga Swiatek has, the more intimidating it is to play her.”
-
WTA Tour
Naomi Osaka’s clay swing fills out with Rouen wildcard
Naomi Osaka gets Rouen wildcard to kickstart her clay swing.
-
WTA Tour
Danielle Collins balks at being asked to explain retirement
Danielle Collins has responded to those who question why she has decided to retire from tennis at the end of the current season.
-
Tennis News
‘Novak Djokovic’s problem is psychological’, assesses Roger Federer’s former coach
“Undoubtedly, ‘Nole’ must have fire inside, otherwise he is missing something.”
-
Tennis News
Daniil Medvedev discusses his popularity compared to Carlos Alcaraz as he offers a theory
“For me, the result is the most important, it’s more important than, let’s say, looking good on the court.”
-
Tennis News
Andy Roddick gives honest verdict on Novak Djokovic’s shock coaching split
“I was surprised. You don’t look to make moves in March or April. This has had to be a surprise to both of them.”
-
ATP Tour
Jannik Sinner makes revealing comment on his eyesight after Miami Open win
Jannik Sinner opened up on his use of contact lenses on court.
-
Tennis News
Martina Navratilova serves up a desperate verdict on Andy Murray’s comeback hopes
Andy Murray is likely to have to wait several days to learn how long he will be sidelined for by the ankle injury he suffered in Miami.