IT IS exam season and not even tennis players are exempt.
A week today a hopeful Scottish bloke will begin the first major assessment of his career development since he took up residence at the No 3 spot in the world rankings – subject: clay-court progress; candidate: Murray, A. The venue will be the French
Open, the ultimate test for the kings of the clay courts.
Murray completed the last of his mock-exams on Friday night, losing 7-6, 6-3 to Juan Martin Del Potro, the world No 5, in the quarter-finals of the Mutua Madrilena Open. It was a disappointing end to what had been a good week for the Scot. To get to the last eight, he had beaten Tommy Robredo, a vastly experienced clay-court specialist who had already won 21 matches on the slow surface this year, and he had showed every sign that his crammer course with Alex Corretja had served him well.
For the past month, Corretja, twice a French Open finalist, has been trying to pass on all the tricks of the clay-court trade to his charge. So far the Scot has proved to be an A-student, reaching the semi-finals at the Monte Carlo Masters in his first outing of the season and the quarter-finals in Spain, but there is still some work to do.
When it came to facing Del Potro, a man Murray had beaten on three previous occasions, Scotland's finest could not quite keep up the delicate balancing act between being patient and being aggressive, the combination that had allowed him to play his natural game on the alien surface in the previous rounds. From a 5-2 lead, Murray started to press too hard and that gave Del Potro the chance to pounce.
"I just got away from playing my game," Murray said, cutting himself no slack. "I started taking balls on that weren't there to be hit and I was hitting the ball with not a lot of height over the net, so therefore I made more mistakes. I didn't play my best game. I bust a string at 5-2 and then I pretty much lost eight points in a row. It was a bit disappointing but, I mean, from the back of the court I'm hitting the ball well, it's just that my returns weren't good and that sums it up. I need to improve before the French Open starts."
Murray had made a rare mistake – he actually lost 11 points in a row from 5-2 up and that rapid change in momentum changed the match for good. But at least Murray had done his homework – he knows what he has to do to win on clay and now it is just a case of doing it instinctively.
The French Open is the ultimate goal for the hundreds of men who grew up on the slow red clay courts of Europe and South America. It is an event that requires lung-bursting stamina, super-human strength and infinite patience. For Murray, who thrives on the faster surfaces where the footing is secure and he can clatter his ground strokes for clean winners, the new discipline is a complex challenge. He can cope with the physical demands of clay, but mentally he is still adjusting to the surface. A rally that Murray could polish off in six shots on a hard court will take 15 or 20 shots on clay and, at times, that is not so much frustrating as just damned annoying.
"I wasn't expecting to be making finals every week," he said on Friday night. "There's definitely been an improvement compared to last year. I wouldn't have beaten someone like Robredo last year, and I beat him comfortably here. I feel confident going in to the French, better than I have done in previous years, I just need to work in a few bits and pieces but my game is definitely better on clay this year than last."
In order to give himself the best possible chance in Paris, he will head to France in the next few days. On Friday he was supposed to be celebrating his 22nd birthday but the family knees-up had to be postponed as his match dragged on until the small hours of Saturday morning. Instead, he will allow himself a couple of days at home and then it he will be off to Roland Garros for practice, practice and yet more practice.
"There are a few guys ahead of me at the French Open," he said. "I think I'm behind the very top ones. It's just a matter of getting that confidence when it comes to playing matches on clay and taking my opportunities – that's the difference between winning and losing matches against the top players."
Murray has studied hard and revised well and he is as ready as he can be for the test to come. Ladies and gentlemen, please turn over your papers, the French Open is about to begin.
