What Andy Murray accomplished in 2016 is by any given standard, a great deal of success. Murray who has always been kept in the dark either by Federer, Nadal or Djokovic, this time took his chances up high and made the most of them. With Federer and Nadal out of the picture and Djokovic not so great, Andy put in some great consistency especially on the indoor hardcourt swing during autumn. Eventually, he finished the year as world no. 1 also reaching a career-best ranking.
His new status brings up questions whether he is prepared or not to get by some of his mental barriers while playing big matches.
A great athlete by definition, on many occasion, Murray failed to seal victory despite his efforts.
Australian Open has been a nightmare for Murray
Murray has been a top Tennis player for almost a decade, but overall, his success when it comes to Grand Slam events has been limited. Australian Open, the very first major spot on the ATP calendar, turned out to be a real nightmare so far as he reached the final act on 5 separate occasions without winning any of it. In 2017, this fact might change given his current status. During the last part of 2016, he put in a different approach having an increased ability when it comes to key moments of an encounter.
But nothing should be taken for granted, especially with players like Nadal and Federer floating around with a low-ranking status.
Against all odds, we might see a Murray vs Federer or Murray vs Nadal match in the early stages of the contest.
Murray has the chance to consolidate his position
Except for the final at the Australian Open, Murray has little to defend in the first months of the season. In 2016, following the defeat in Melbourne his results went down on a spiral with early exits in Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo.
His game was subject to a visible improvement starting with the clay-court events in Madrid and Rome. Up to that point, he could use the time to add some points to his already consistent harvest.
On the other side, Djokovic who represents the biggest threat will have to defend a huge amount of points in the first part of the season. So, Murray has a great shot to rest for a while on the highest summit of the ATP ranking.
