Andy Murray has said losing abjectly against Rafael Nadal here on Wednesday has sharpened his winning instincts before his crunch match against Stan Wawrinka on Friday night.
If Murray wins, he is into the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour Finals and retains his world No2 ranking going into the Australian Open in January. If he loses, the Scot travels to Belgium next week with his spirits dented slightly before Great Britain’s attempt to win the Davis Cup for the first time since 1936.
“I’m not saying that losing is ever the most positive thing but, in these situations, if I had done very well here, played great the whole week, it’s easy to get a little bit complacent,” Murray said. “Whereas now I’m quite aware that my game needs to go up a level. I can’t have dips like I did [against Nadal]. It was very disappointing not to win the match but I need to use it the right way for Friday and for the Davis Cup.”
Murray knows how dangerous Wawrinka can be, whether in form or not. “Sometimes he can make a bunch of errors [35 unforced against Nadal] and then, in the space of a couple of games, can completely change and start hitting winners from all over the court [60 clean winners against Novak Djokovic in the French Open final]. He’s a tough guy to play against for that reason. He has a lot of power and he can almost take the racket out of your hand at times.”
Wawrinka, who acknowledges he played appallingly against Nadal but improved markedly in beating David Ferrer on Wednesday, has won six of 14 matches against Murray, including the last two. “The last time was the US Open 2013 quarters,” the Swiss said. “We used to have some big battle in the past, some tough match, three sets, four sets.
“It’s going to be interesting how I’m going to play Friday, if I’m going to bring the positive game that I start to play [against Ferrer], and also how he’s going to be. He’s having an amazing year, No2 in the world, so dangerous indoors, especially at home. He has had a similar week to me.
“It’s impossible to know exactly what we can expect from him for Friday. It’s tough to say what he’s thinking, if he’s completely focused or not, or if he’s already thinking too much about Davis Cup. For sure the fact he practised so much after Paris on clay to get the rhythm doesn’t help him to feel completely fresh this week. Maybe he’s going to feel more relaxed, no pressure, go for it more, or maybe he’s not going to be completely here. If he’s mentally not really here, then he’s a different player.”
Wawrinka had exactly the same challenge as Murray last year, going on to win the Davis Cup with Switzerland. “Again, I’m a completely different player. I have had a different career also,” the world No4 said. “I wasn’t playing well since the US Open. It was important to beat the top guys [before] going to the clay. After one or two days, I was ready for it. I was 100% focused here because it was important for me, then I switched in two days.”
