Andy Murray is often regarded as the embodiment of resilience, with a titanium hip testament to his unwavering determination. Volumes have been written about his heroic comeback from an injury that nearly ended his professional tenure. However, the recent disappointing loss has cast a shadow, suggesting that it’s his mental fortitude that’s now eroding more swiftly than his physical prowess.

On a Monday afternoon in Paris, Murray seemed poised for victory against Alex de Minaur, ahead with a commanding double-break. The press had their celebratory headlines at the ready. But the atmosphere shifted when DeMinaur approached his break point, and a sinking feeling of the inevitable took hold.

This event marks another chapter in a challenging phase that began with the Wimbledon marathon against Stefanos Tsitsipas, where Murray has repeatedly stumbled when on the brink of victory. Murray himself appeared perplexed by his gradual downfall, remarking that he couldn’t recall a similar experience. This admission did little to alleviate the sadness that many onlookers felt.

Witnessing a champion of Murray’s stature grapple with his inner struggles evokes a profound sadness. The distress was palpable when, at 5-4, Murray, normally a model of agility in a sport that prizes such a trait, was visibly constrained, his movements reminiscent of an amateur’s stiffness. His forehand, tentative at first, devolved into a misdirected shot that sailed past the baseline.

Aging in sports often brings a heightened awareness of potential failure. While the youth may charge forward with minimal trepidation, seasoned athletes can become preoccupied with thoughts of what lies ahead or haunted by recent missteps. The essence of sports psychology is to stay immersed in the moment, yet the results of that Monday seemed to narrate a different tale. Alongside Murray, both Stan Wawrinka and Richard Gasquet, seasoned players themselves, succumbed after having match points in their grasp, all victims to what could be described as a “senior moment.”

Tennis, with its idiosyncrasies, can be maddening, as club players can attest. There’s nothing more frustrating than moving your opponent all over the court, earning the juiciest of short balls, and then blaring the put-away into the back fence. That’s effectively what he did on Monday, only on a larger scale.

But the trick in these instances is to focus on the 95 per cent that went right. Murray has had DeMinaur on the rack twice in the past month. If he keeps playing that way, he should be able to resume his climb up the world rankings, which recently carried him inside the top 40 for the first time since his hip surgery.

And should despair loom, Murray can reflect on his early-season triumphs, such as his consecutive deciding set victories, often from the brink of defeat. Attributing that streak to “the law of averages” after a series of narrow losses, Murray now needs only to believe in the pendulum’s capacity to swing once more.

SOURCE- Telegraph, London