It's fair to say that men's tennis has been having an interesting ride lately. Having so many well-established tennis stars off the table due to injuries, the ATP circuit seems to have developed a tendency to go backward. For some of those still absent from the game, the current state of men's tennis might feel like a missed opportunity.
Andy Murray, a tremendous athlete and one of the most constant names over the last decade, was in pole position to fill in that vacancy. But, he ran out of luck, and a lingering hip injury made it impossible for him to even retain that hard-earned spot.
Finding himself in a recovery mode at the time, the Brit might resume his career during the upcoming grass court swing.
A different type of pressure Murray would have to fight against
By the time Andy Murray will be fit to play, the inactivity stretch will be about a year long. For a top tennis player is a huge lay-off and, despite a huge wave of optimism, nothing might be the same.
It'll be different kind of pressure that it would make things so different this time. People will hope to see a freshly reanimated character who would be ready to pick it up from where it was left. That will only happen mostly because of this ongoing trend of old-dusty names going back to the top.
This particular era in tennis might mark the beginning of a longevity-oriented feature, but, when it comes to Andy Murray, no bet must be looked at as a safe go.
Murray's playing style is a bit different. Its whole structure revolves around the idea of blending two concepts: smart-aggressive and aggressive baseliner. While Murray is perhaps one of the best defensive players on the pro tour, this would barely score some points in the longevity chart.
Andy Murray made a name for himself as being a player who would love being involved in a physical game.
Now, as he went through a hip injury, that might change.
Andy Murray is not the only one with a difficult situation in his yard
It's clear that after a year away from any form of competitive tennis while simultaneously heading towards the twilight of his career, Andy Murray will be forced to make serious adjustments. But, he doesn't sit alone in this boat with the likes of Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori, Milos Raonic or even Rafael Nadal dealing with similar issues.
It is said that change is part of any form of progress but no one can say with accuracy whether or not these players would be willing to embrace the concept.
