High point Samantha Murray taking on Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon in 2014 before the Briton’s progress was stalled by a wrist injury
IT IS VERY HARD TO BELIEVE YOU CAN REACH THE TOP AGAIN WHEN YOUR BODY DOES NOT FEEL LIKE IT NEEDS TO
when he returned he began to take the ball earlier than anyone in history, except perhaps JohnMcEnroe. As for the likes of Del Potro and SamMurray, having prolonged periods out of the game hasmeant theywere never able to realise their full potential. Del Potro could have consistently challenged the Big Four and become part of that group but was robbed of the opportunity. It now seems very unlikely that hewill be able to play at the highest level again given his age and the length of time that he has been out. It is incredibly difficult to believe that you can play at that level againwhen you knowyour body does not feel like it needs to in order to compete at the top. If AndyMurray cannot find consistent formand go deep in tournaments regularly, hemight have to decide towards the end of this year whether hewishes to continue.The aura he once carried is waning and as players fear him less his job gets harder.
In cases like these it is not a question of ability. It is a question of whether the deterioration inmovement is just a little too severe to overcome through reading the game andmastering a newway of playing. Pro players have the difficult task of judging when to know for sure that their game is no longer good enough. Themargins are so small, but when you cannot make an impact for 12months or more and the wildcards dry up, it can be the sport and your world ranking that make the decision for you.
David Sammel is an ATP Tour coach, consultant to the Bath Academy and founder of Mindset College. He is also the author of the best-selling book, “Locker Room Power”, which is available worldwide in paperback, audiobook and digitally on Amazon
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