Andy Murray Defeated in Tokyo - 2nd Rnd - AIG Japan Open 2006

Apologies again for the delay in posting. I've really got to get over my hatred of writing about Andy Murray's defeats. No tennis player - not even the mighty Federer - wins every single game.

Murray was defeated in the 2nd rnd by Jiri Novak 6-3 7-6 (7-1).

Davis Cup aside, this makes for Murray's third defeat in a row and definitely qualifies as a mini slump in form. But before I get all depressed again, here's some reminders of why Murray's fans expect so much from the nineteen year old.

- In approximately 18 months as a pro, Murray has risen to number 16 in the world.
- The average age for breaking into the top 100, is 21. Murray has reached 16th place at the age of 19.

So far this year, Murray has:

- Reached his second ATP final.
- Defeated Federer in straight sets.
- Reached the Qtr-Final and the Semi-Final of Master Series tournaments.
- Reached the 4th rnd at Wimbledon and the US Open (one round more than his seeding).
- Led the GB Davis Cup team to their first win in three matches.

Achievements such as these leads everyone to expect more than is reasonable. It's easy to forget that Murray went through a slump in form earlier this year and then bounced back to achieve all of the above.

Further success will come. His fans just need to show some patience now and again.

And yes, that includes me :-)

Source:
BBC SPORT | Tennis | Murray slumps to defeat in Japan