When Andy Murray lost to Novak Djokovic in the final of the Australian Open earlier this year, he was asked to define success in his sport. “Success,” he said, without restricting his response to tennis, “is being happy.”
Djokovic had just blown him off the court in the fourth and final set, 6-0, to establish the sort of hegemony over a rival that some players might find spiritually crushing. Murray seemed unusually calm in defeat.
“It’s not about winning every single tournament you play, because that isn’t possible,” he continued that February evening. “You want to win every event, that’s for sure. That’s what you prepare for. But no one in the history of this game has ever done that. You prepare as best as you can. I would rather lose in the final and be happy than win the final and go home and be miserable.”
When Djokovic won the fifth and final set of their semi-final on Court Philippe Chatrier on Saturday afternoon – 6-1 this time – Murray was similarly comfortable with his circumstances, even though his professional pride was injured.
He chose to dwell only briefly on what had passed: taking the best player in the world to five sets over four hours and nine minutes, having lost the first two, and turning adversity to his advantage in a spectacle that will be remembered, overall, as a tremendous fight as much as for the quick denouement.
“It’s nice that I can get a few days’ break and then get some time to practise on the grass,” he said, switching his attention to Wimbledon, the place of his finest triumph over Djokovic, in the 2013 final.
“That’s a really positive thing. When you do well at the French, it can be quite difficult the first 10 days or so [afterwards] because you go almost straight into playing matches and you get no break.
“So, I’m happy with where my game is now. It’s just about getting the right plan together between now and the start of Queen’s, to rest and recover and then prepare well for the grass. I feel like I’m playing well enough to do well.”
It was a classically understated ambition: playing well enough to do well.
But that ought not be taken for a lack of ambition to win the title again – or to beat Djokovic again, something he has not done since that Wimbledon final.
Murray regards Wimbledon as his place, the scene of historic achievement, where he goes in quiet moments to contemplate on what he has achieved and what might be to come. Often, he has sat by himself on Centre Court and allowed the good memories to flow over him. It seems Djokovic’s eighth straight win over him here did not constitute the hammer blow to his self-belief others might have imagined.
“Looking at both of the matches we played [at the slams], I was up a break in the third set, it was 7-6, 6-7. I was up a break in the third set in Australia. Here I needed to start the match better but, overall, I don’t think I’m too far away.
“Obviously, Australia is his best surface, the best tournament for him. He loves the conditions there. And over the years he’s been much better than me on clay courts. On grass we’ve only played a couple of times and I’ve played well against him – the US Open and Wimbledon. I prefer the conditions there for my game. Hopefully I can close the gap a bit more.”
The gap between the French and Wimbledon is the shortest between slams, leaving little time for contemplation of what might have been. And Murray wants to “get back on the horse” against the player he most wants to beat.
“It would mean that I would be in the semi-finals or the final – so I would always sign up for that. I know how difficult it is to go far in these events on a regular basis. Any time you get to play him or Roger [Federer] or Rafa [Nadal], it’s a great learning experience. You can always improve.”
There is also life away from tennis. Murray’s loss to Djokovic was his first as a married man, after a remarkable run of 15 wins and two titles on clay, his first on the surface, including the final in Madrid. He is looking forward to some time at home in Oxshott with his wife, Kim, and their dogs. It is the one relatively quiet period in his schedule.
“Yeah, this year I’ve hardly spent any time at home. It’s probably the least amount of time I’ve spent at home for, like, six or seven years, because I played quite a bit after Australia with the Davis Cup and then Rotterdam and Dubai. I’ve hardly been in my own bed more than seven or eight days this year. It’s going to be nice to be home for a long stretch.
“All the British players love it. It is nice being in front of a home crowd and staying in your own bed and having your friends and family around. Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”
After years of angst and striving, Murray has found the sort of contentment that matters more to him than tennis. That’s some achievement.
