Andy Murray is turning into the Maria Sharapova of the men's tennis realm. But while Sharapova is known for her on-court screams, it's Murray's off-court outbursts that may be getting in his way.
The Scot changed his game plan against No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the final of the Miami Open on Easter, coming out more aggressively than he had in several matches.
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The plan was good enough to get Murray, who will rise to No. 3 in the world today, into a deciding third set against Djokovic.
Where Murray was wiped out again.
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Djokovic came away with a 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-0 victory for his fifth Miami Open title. More pertinent to Murray is the fact that Djoker now has won seven consecutive matches against him since his history 2013 Wimbledon victory over Djokovic.
No. 1 Serena's streak over No. 2 Sharapova is 16. But the difference in athletic ability is discernable, which partly explains that Sharapova's last win over her rival came in the 2004 Wimbledon final.
In 2013, Murray appeared ready to etch his name on the No. 1 ranking after his Wimbledon win - the first by a homegrown player in England in 77 years. Murray had won the 2012 U.S. Open.
But then, Murray suffered a bad break. No, it was not a back injury that forced Murray to miss the last part of 2013 and halt his momentum.
Murray lost coach Ivan Lendl in March of 2014 when the two parted ways. It was Lendl's calming influence that calmed Murray into more positive body language during his Grand Slam run. New coach Amelie Mauresmo has not had the same effect on Murray.
Both men received warnings Sunday from the chair umpire for outbursts, tennis.com reported, but Djokovic seems to channel his hostility in a different direction than Murray.
"Both men screamed at their teams, and were warned by the chair umpire," tennis.com commented. "The difference, as it often is, was that Djokovic's screaming fits were a way for him to let out his frustration and move on, while Murray's negativity bred more negativity.
"Murray has always disputed the notion that showing more positive body language on court would help him. And he has had plenty of success despite all the moaning. But on Sunday, his negativity looked like it sapped his strength and reinforced his mistakes. It also seems to have become habitual against Djokovic."
Murray is open to trying new things against Djokovic. Is it time that he tried a different mental approach?
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