Where Murray still has much work to do to win grand slam

ANDY Murray has admitted that he has much to work on after his punishing encounter with Rafael Nadal.

There was no disgrace in losing in straight sets to a man in such form and the defeat could serve to help Murray in the long run. The Scot came to Wimbledon with a stated intention to win the title. He was helped in his preparations by a team of advisors with whom he seemed to be comfortable, but they will be aware, like Murray, that he is some way away from winning a Grand Slam.

If he is to bridge the gap between himself and Nadal, there are several areas he will have to improve on.

• SERVE

Against Nadal the Scot was able to get only 49 per cent of his first serves in, as opposed to the Spaniard's 62 per cent. But his second service is, perhaps, his most obvious Achilles heel, and Nadal preyed on it in merciless fashion by standing well inside the baseline. This allowed him to take Murray's second serve as early as possible.

John McEnroe yesterday suggested that Murray should join his brother Jamie in the doubles environment for a spell at least. "I think doubles would benefit him. He needs to work on his second serves. Even those guys he considered bums, stiffs, would work his second serve over. That might make him think: 'Hey I need to work on this'. He also needs to work on his game at the net, which is another thing that you do a lot of in doubles."

• ADVICE

There is a thin line between being single-minded – which gives him his vital will-to-win – and not learning from others in the belief that Murray knows best. One of the leading coaches in the world has already been jettisoned, with the Scot choosing to go his own way after the Lawn Tennis Association had hired Brad Gilbert at great expense. Whether the stubborn Murray can take on board criticism of aspects of his play remains to be seen, even from legends such as McEnroe.

• PHYSIQUE

Contrary to popular belief, the Spaniard does not spend all his time in the gym. Simply playing more tennis helped Nadal reach the standard he is at, and at the same time honed his physique and fitness.

Murray displayed the success of his attempts to beef himself up after his victory over Richard Gasquet, flexing a bicep in the direction of his coaches. But his demise against Nadal proves he needs to keep working on this aspect, which will be difficult when he knows that his frame will never be as muscular as that of Nadal. Yet sustained power is a prerequisite if he is to win a Grand Slam.

"He is fitter than he has ever been, as he showed against Gasquet" acknowledged McEnroe yesterday. "But there is some disappointment he didn't bring it to the next match. There was no energy and belief when he walked on court."

• DEMEANOUR

As McEnroe also pointed out, Murray needs to learn how to disguise his fatigue. When the fans can sense a player is struggling it can lead to a deflating loss of atmosphere, as was proved on Centre Court two evenings ago. Nadal, in contrast, was able to smell blood.