Andy Murray spots hidden nerves in Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic

Tennis News
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic during a match

Andy Murray was an interested observer in the stands at this year’s compelling Wimbledon men’s singles final – and he identified the nerves displayed by both Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.

The tennis world marvels at the ability of the game’s top players to hold their nerve under the most intense pressure, with Murray among the few who have claimed the game’s biggest titles during an era dominated by Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Many were surprised to see Murray sitting amongst the fans for the Wimbledon final last month, but he has now revealed the depth of the analysis he oversaw as he watched Alcaraz become the first player to beat Djokovic on Centre Court since the Scot’s win against the Serb in the 2013 final.

“I wasn’t planning on going to watch the match,” said the Brit, who has won two Wimbledon titles.

“I had to do something, and at Wimbledon that day, and then after I finished it was about an hour and a half before the start of the match, and I was, like, ‘I feel like I should stay for this one.’

“I really enjoyed it. I learned a lot from watching, and I think, yeah, probably something like looking back, wish I had maybe done a little bit more of.

“It’s not always that easy to do and sit in the stands and watch matches, because, well, most of the people in there are tennis fans and it can be distracting.

“The end of the match, last couple of sets, I thought some of the tennis was brilliant.

“It was really hard conditions that day.”

Murray also suggested he watched both Alcaraz and Djokovic in between points, giving him a perspective you do not get watching on TV.

“The thing that’s interesting as well is when I was sitting there, I was also looking like a little bit at the teams and looking at seeing the players and their reactions between the points,” he stated.

“Although sometimes on the TV it can appear like they’re calm, you can actually see there was stress and frustration and all those things.

“When you’re just watching on the TV, they often cut, not all of the time, but a lot of the time, it’s people in the crowd or the guy that’s just won the point and you don’t see those immediate reactions as well.

“Seeing the frustration was there, but also how they were responding to that was interesting.”

When asked about specific aspects he picked up during the match, Murray added: “I ended up like taking videos and stuff of the guys and just focusing a little bit more on one side of the net.

“You know, looking at their like return positions and their movement between shots.

“Also, the times when particularly Alcaraz looking to play aggressive and offensive tennis and how he was going about doing that.”

The depth of Murray’s analysis highlights his unshakable love for the sport and while many have questioned why he is continuing his career at the age of 36 despite a lack of recent success, these comments highlight how he is still looking to improve and return to the top of the game.

It remains to be seen whether Murray will ever challenge Alcaraz and Djokovic in the game’s biggest tournaments, but his tennis brain remains as active as ever.

That may see the three-time Grand Slam champion move into a role as a commentator or coach when he finally calls time on his career, with his eagerness to learn new information about the game after all he has achieved a remarkable testament to his passion for the game.

READ MORE: Novak Djokovic issues PTPA rallying call: ‘We are going to fight for the players’ rights’

Andy Murray Carlos Alcaraz Novak Djokovic

Latest