Big Four No More: What Caused Andy Murray’s Disastrous 2014 Season?

[ ATP Backspin guest blogger ]
In maritime law it is a criminal offense for a captain to abandon his ship no matter how dire the circumstances. His job is to stay with his vessel, even if it is sure to go down, and ensure that all passengers and crew members safely, and quite literally, jump ship. It goes without saying, it doesn't usually end well for the captain. This dichotomy exists in many facets of life where responsibility falls squarely on someone’s shoulders while the others “jump ship” in hopes of saving face. Whether one can do it in time is another matter. In the case of Ivan Lendl, he seems to have perfected the art of knowing exactly when to abandon a sinking ship.

Andy Murray, Lendl’s former employer, was last seen dumping a tired cross court backhand into the net gifting Novak Djokovic a quarterfinal victory at the US Open. It was the final act of, to put it lightly, yet another disappointing showing at a Grand Slam for Murray. As he walked off the court and the unapologetic camera panned to his new coach Amelie Mauresmo in the stands, it was impossible not wonder if and when Lendl knew it was going to be a rough 2014 for Murray.

Slightly over a year ago Murray was on top of the tennis world having just won Wimbledon on home soil, his 2nd Grand Slam title in four tries, and was pushing for the world #1 ranking. Today Murray sits outside the top 10 at #11 and could only muster a single semi final appearance in all Grand Slams this season. Is it possible to pinpoint a turning point or has it been a succession of setbacks that have held back Murray this year?

It must be said that dating back to the 2013 French Open Murray has been dealing with lower back problem. Many forget that his status for Wimbledon that year was very much in the air after having to withdraw from the French Open. Later that year, shortly after he had been named 2013 BBC Sport Personality of the Year, he opted to have surgery on his nagging lower back problem. Murray was seemingly ready to go for the start of the 2014 season but his form on the court suggested otherwise. He lost to two players outside the top 40 to kick off his first two tournaments and failed to make the semi-finals of the Australian Open for the first time since 2009. From there he never really recovered.

There’s no reason to beat a dead horse and recount each tournament setback. His struggles through the remainder of the season (he failed to even make it to a single final let alone win a tournament) are well documented and are reflected in his #11 world ranking. In between disappointing results at Indian Wells and the Miami Masters, he parted ways with his coach Ivan Lendl, who was instrumental in getting Murray over that Grand Slam hump. Considering all of Murray’s success over the year and a half prior it was a surprising announcement to say the least.

Lendl finally spoke up concerning their parting of ways after Murray announced he would be working with Amelie Mauresmo until after at least the conclusion of the US Open. Lendl cited family time, passion projects and excessive travel as reasons for his departure, but his answer to a particular question was quite telling. When asked if part of the reason he decided to step down as coach was because of the difficulty that came with of matching the high and intensity of a Grand Slam victory he responded, “Yeah, and that too. Everyone is different, and when you win a big tournament like Wimbledon, it’s not easy sometimes. Some people find it more difficult than others, and I’m glad Andy found Amélie [Mauresmo] who can give him the time he needs.” Did Lendl believe that Murray was no longer committed to becoming the best after tasting the victory he’d been working towards all those years?

I might be unfair to make such a sweeping generalization, but I wrote about the possibility of complacency in Murray’s corner leading up to Wimbledon. It seems as though the claim was not unfounded considering Lendl publicly voiced similar worries. I think a combination of that 2013 season high and his inability to practice a 100% for the majority of the year held him back but it still doesn’t hide the fact that Murray’s struggles have coincided with Lendl’s leaving. Even with a full month of training leading up to US Open Murray looked visibly fatigued at times during the tournament. In his first round match with Robin Haase it looked as though he would have to withdraw after he hobbled through a cramp-filled third set yet he managed to pull through. He looked sharp at times during his aforementioned quarterfinal match-up with Djokovic but it became clear in the fourth set that Murray did not have enough in the tank to take down Djokovic. Once the most fit player on tour, he seemed to labor through the latter end of the match. It wasn’t easy to watch.

With the surge from the rest of the field, in the form of Slam wins from both Wawrinka and Cilic, Murray could not have picked a worse time to tank a season. Whether complacency really is the reason for his decline he’ll have to find a way to pump himself up to get back into the top five, let alone the top 10. The tennis landscape has changed with the blink of the eye and the “Big Four” is firmly a thing of the past. Lendl may have been aware of a leak in the ship long before the rest of us noticed it sinking, but don’t expect Murray to go under without a fight.


John Hayes is a blogger and entrepreneur who helped launched MyTennisLessons.com in Austin TX. His mission is to help people stay active by making tennis a more accessible and affordable option for beginners and enthusiasts alike.

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