Andy Murray has just enjoyed his best year in tennis. He reached three slam semi finals and one final, won all five of his non-major tour finals and produced perhaps the best tennis of his career in beating Rafael Nadal in Tokyo.
However, it could be said that the Scot is as far from a slam victory as ever. He ended the year ranked fourth for the fourth year running and in losing to Nadal in all three slam semi finals showed his limitations against the very best more than he did his progress from previous years. A series of early season shock defeats would be hard to imagine befalling his main rivals. People who Bet on Australian Open Tennis should remember this.
A strong case can be made for him in Melbourne – two consecutive Australian Open final appearances, a strong finish to the season that featured three wins on the Asian leg of the tour – but unfortunately for the Scot stronger ones can, as ever, be made for three men ahead of him in the rankings.
Murray has lost nine of his 11 slam matches against the rest of the big four (seven defeats coming against Nadal) and he continues to find it hard enough to win one match in a major against these players; winning two in quick succession would be uncharted territory. Those looking at the Top sites for Tennis Betting need to remember this.
This is not to say this feat is unachievable. Murray has been inspired by the rapid improvement of his peer Djokovic, who has benefited from combining greater consistency, improved physical fitness and a more aggressive approach to great effect.
Murray has the potential to gain the extra few percent needed to win a major and 2012 could be his year. Melbourne has been the venue that Murray has come closest to winning a major at and that could be the case again.
