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John McEnroe has claimed Andy Murray had ruined his chance to win the US Open by over-training.
The Scot crashed out in a shock 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 fourth-round defeat by Marin Cilic in New York and will now drop down the world rankings to No3 after Rafael Nadal reached the quarter-finals with a win over Gael Monfils.
The British No1, who rated the loss “the biggest disappointment of my career”, lacked the fire and passion of previous rounds as he fell to the 16th seed from Croatia.
The 22-year-old reached the US Open final last year, where he was beaten by Roger Federer, but he is now nursing a wrist injury and heading back to JFK airport to catch a flight back to London alongside coach Miles Maclagan and fitness trainers Jezz Green and Matt Little, both of whom will be angered by McEnroe's blast.
Former great McEnroe, who had tipped the Briton to win the US Open, said: “Murray had a couple of set points in that opening set against Cilic and then the wheels came off completely. I want to know what happened to his energy?
“Murray has worked hard on his game but my concern is that he is over-trained at this point. He has his own routine and needs to be in great shape — no doubt about that. Roger Federer has it worked out in terms of what he does on his days off and Murray would be better slacking off because he has done all the work that's needed at this point. You don't need to work as hard as he does between matches.”
Murray, though, vowed to prove the critics wrong by winning the Australian Open in January, despite the Cilic loss. First, he will undergo intensive treatment on his left wrist in the hope of facing Poland in the Davis Cup in Liverpool, starting next Friday.
But the Scot, who went into the US Open as the hottest player on hardcourts this season, insists his body did not break down as a result of his fitness regime.
He is already planning to repeat the arduous sessions in Florida in December and believes his rise up the rankings is due to the pain he suffers in the heat just before Christmas.
Murray said: “I am going to work as hard as I can to be ready to win a slam in Australia because I have got a very good chance of doing it. I'll be a better player next year.
“I will come back better from this loss and can learn a lot from what happened this week. That is what I have done most times when I have suffered bad results, coming back stronger.
“This is the worst result of my tennis career and that really makes it disappointing. I plan on playing in the Davis Cup in Liverpool and now I am going to take a few days off, go home, rest and hopefully I will be okay.
“I leave it to my doctors and physio to let me know what I should be doing with it and how much I should be playing and how much time I need to take off.”
The hope is that Murray is not facing the same kind of serious wrist damage he sustained to his right hand that meant he missed the French Open and Wimbledon in 2007.
He will not take any chances, even if it means missing a Davis Cup tie Britain must win to avoid the ignominy of relegation to Euro/Africa Group Two. This time, it is the left wrist, which is crucial to his world-class double back hand shot — and he fired off just one winner with this weapon against Cilic, who now meets Juan Martin del Potro in the last eight.
Murray added: “My game wasn't up to scratch and it's unfortunate but sometimes that can happen. I just didn't play well enough.
“It has been a very good season. I improved my results at Wimbledon and at the French Open while equalling my best result in Australia. Now, I have to make sure I work on my game a lot to make sure that at the beginning of the year I am ready to win one.
“In the previous match, against Paul Capdeville, I felt a little bit low on energy and while it's not an excuse, it's not good to feel that way in a Grand Slam. Against Cilic, I just couldn't find my way into games and he was dominating a lot of the points. One of the good things about me in the last couple of years is that I find ways to get back into the matches mentally but it didn't happen.”
Nadal's 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 victory over Monfils featured a security scare on centre court.
After the end of the match, a male fan kissed Nadal and took a picture. Remarkably, the Spaniard smiled throughout the incident and later said: “The guy was smiling and said I love you' and he kissed me — It wasn't a problem.”
Reader views (15)
Murray played that match as if his mind was somewhere else. Unfortunately, in order to win 7 matches in a row at the US Open, you have to bring your whole game to the courts with you. He had a very bad day.
- Elston, San Diego, USA, 10/09/2009 15:01
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ill be honest, never have i been as disappointed as i was last night. i saw no passion or energy, the ny crowd was willing him on to give something,anything but sadly they were to be denied
i can forgive someone losing if they give there absolute all but last i saw nothing, cilic is a good player but murray was downright awful
dont get me wrong im murray supporter and i believe he has all the tools to win a major but he keeps getting caught short, he has a god given talent with a racquet and i hope and pray he wins one
- Bigjokk, glasgow, 09/09/2009 20:01
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I symphathise with Andy over his recent loss. He certainly has a lot to learn in his game and the game of tennis.
He will need to work very hard to keep up with the tempo of 'modern' tennis.
I believe he will win a Grand Slam in my lifetime.
KUDOS Andy, Keep up the spirit of sportsmanship
- Asikia Karibi-Whyte, Stoke-on-Trent UK, 09/09/2009 17:25
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Ronnie he was only no2 due to others injuries. Whilst I may not have achieved the wealth or fame of Murray I have done ok for myself. However unlike the Scot, I would not be unsupportive of the hand that fed me - as in the SCOT Murrays case by being very dismissive of England. It is this that has led to so much ill feeling towards him
- James (1), ENGLAND, 09/09/2009 16:48
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Ronnie, Billericay. Well said. The negative comments do tend to come from people who have achieved absolutely nothing in their sad little lives and, as a result, resent all those who are successful. If you bitter little nerds really want to see a loser, then just look in a mirror - if you have one. As for the comments from over the pond : How many US men - from a population 50 times greater than Scotland - are into the last 8 at Flushing Meadow ?
- Davekay, Glasgow, Scotland, 09/09/2009 16:42
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is that the nasty loud mouth mcenroe....thought so
- Rsaviour, lonodn england, 09/09/2009 16:20
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To a certain extent I agree with McEnroe. Murray is putting a lot of pressure on himself. He is working hard but yesterday he just did not have any energy on the court. He needs to be a little bit more balanced and then play one match at a time and just focus on the next match in the press conferences. WHy put unnecessary pressure on himself by making futuristic statements. He needs to be a little bit more agressive and for sure he gonna win.
- Goody, San DIego, CA, 09/09/2009 16:15
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The negative comments here are just unbelievable!
I just wonder what Mike/Robert/James/James have achieved in life that they find themselves qualified to criticize one of our outstanding sportsmen. Andy Murray not only works as hard at his fitness and technique as any sportsman on earth, but (until today) he was the second best player IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!
Never mind lads, the next time you suffer from repetitive strain injury, from playing your video games, or pressing the on/off button on your remote control, you might understand the frustration Andy is feeling today.
What a bunch of whingers
- Ronnie, Billericay England, 09/09/2009 14:53
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Oh Robert , spoken like a true American .
Murray has loads of talent and will win his slam yet, and he was right about Serena.
- Deanna, Canada, 09/09/2009 14:49
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The Gurning Scot who lives on the basis he is the fittest player and next great multiple Grand Slam hopeful needs to wake up and smell the coffee. Yes, he sure can win one soon (as some believe), but he will have to change his playing style somewhat be less critical his peers for not being 'up to scratch'. Overall a terrible performance against a lower seeded opponent.
- E Hunt, Nevada, LV, 09/09/2009 14:07
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Useless Jock will never win Wimbledon or a Grand Slam only thing that interests him is himself. As with a lot of Scots all talk and no action
- Mike, London England and once GREAT Britain, 09/09/2009 13:14
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Murray still has lots of chances at the grand slams, he will be in the top 5 for many years. In the next 5 years, he will have 15 chances, taking out the french open. If guys like Johanson, Hewitt, Gaudio, etc can win slams, Murray is much much better than those players... And McEnroe is talking crap as usual, you have to be in unbelievable condition to play at this level, look at all the top players, Murray, Nadal, Roddick, they are at the top because their conditioning is superior to players outside the top 20.
- Mike, London, 09/09/2009 13:08
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Such a shame after his comments about England and happily taking funding from the LTA. He will NEVER win a grand slam. hahahaha
- James, UK, 09/09/2009 12:26
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If Murray likes to win a grand slam title, he should do it next year. beaten by a 20 year old, Murray is not getting younger. The next generation is already keen and able to win. Murray can start a career as reporter for BBC or Eurosport like his Mum...
- James Madden, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 09/09/2009 10:31
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Well if Murray had paid more attention to his game, rather than criticizing Serena Williams, he may have had a better outcome. But he's just another guy who'll never win a Grand Slam. Like Henman, he just doesn't have the talent.
- Robert, Philadelphia USA, 09/09/2009 08:58
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