TENNIS in DEPTH.

Andy Murray will need a clear head and an even clearer game plan when he plays Andreas Seppi, of Italy, in front of a raucous Foro Italico crowd in his opening match of the Rome Masters tomorrow.

If Murray remains mystified as to why he has played so disjointedly and with such lack of relish in his past two tournaments, he knows only one person can put it right. The defeats by Mardy Fish in Miami and Philipp Kohlschreiber in Monte Carlo gave the amateur psychiatrists a field day and penetrated the 22-year-old’s skin.

“As soon as I had one bad tournament in Miami, it was like everyone was asking, ‘Are you OK? What’s going wrong?’ Then you start thinking, ‘What is it? Is it my tennis? Is it something going on off the court? Is it family-related?’ I don’t think there’s a problem. It’s based on a couple of matches when mentally I didn’t turn up and I think I’m allowed to do that, given as many matches as I’ve played.

“Last year I played a lot of bad matches and came through them by fighting and thinking right. I’ve seen better players struggle worse than I am at the moment. It depends on what you let it do to you. For me, it’s made me want to practise harder and go to the gym more, which has been good for my mind and my tennis. Whatever anyone else says or writes doesn’t bother me.”

Courtesy  The Times.

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