"I couldn't stop" - Andy Murray regrets his training schedule
Andy Murray is fighting to catch up with the world's best - and currently has to take a break again . In retrospect, the three-time major champ regrets his enormous training schedule.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Oct 19, 2020, 02:21 pm
Almost exactly a year ago, Murray had amazed everyone: only shortly after his individual comeback after having had hip surgery, he won the ATP tournament in Antwerp . However, there was no upward run. The reason: it pinches and pinches the bulkhead. Apparently also because he didn't get enough matches in the last few months, as Murray explained in an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung last week.
"It was not possible for me to develop any kind of momentum. And confirmed something that I had always suspected: The more matches I play, the better my body is doing." Of course it is important to take breaks, "but not too long!" Because the body gets used to the competition, and "if you can't do anything for three or four months, the problems start. At least for me."
Uncle Toni warned: "You will kill yourself"
The former world number one still has big goals, even if he "doesn't have to prove anything to anyone". To get back into the top 5 "would be an incredible achievement given my physical problems. I don't know if I can do it, but I want to try."
Murray's physical problems first became really evident in 2017 - of all things after he managed to leave Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal behind and top the world rankings. The French Open match against Stan Wawrinka, it ruined Murray . The real problem, however, had already arisen. After winning Wimbledon in 2016, he trained at Rafael Nadal's Academy in preparation for the Olympic Games. Rafa and Uncle Toni also watched there. And Toni asked: "What are you doing there? You're going to kill yourself. You work too hard." He, Murray, didn't think too far ahead back then. In Rio, he said he had arrived exhausted. "I should have only spent 30 or 40 minutes on the tennis court to keep my timing. But I couldn't stop." Even after his victory, he continued, not even in Cincinnati, although he had digged badly. "It went like this every day. But the competitor in me wanted to compete."
Murray realized: less is more
Murray is now convinced that he could have achieved the same results with less training. "It's important to prepare well and train hard. But you don't have to train four to five hours off the field every day or run three to four times on a track as an addition to tennis training." Nadal has learned to dose his preparation correctly. Even Federer, with whom everything looks so simple, "you shouldn't be fooled", says Murray, many viewers would not even notice how physically, how explosive the Swiss game is. "But he always knew what his limit was."
Speaking of limit, Murray has that too. Also in terms of its ranking. "If I'm still number 100 in the world a year from now, will I keep playing? Probably not," he said. "But I hope to be much higher, win more consistent matches and measure myself against the greats. If I can do that, I'll play as long as I can."