Andy Murray’s on-court motivational notes used during his Rotterdam Open quarter-final defeat have been revealed after a Dutch journalist posted them online.
Murray went out of the event 6-4, 6-2 to Gilles Simon, having won his previous 12 matches against the Frenchman.
Among those watching was Wilfred Genee, who picked up the A4 sheet containing Murray’s notes after the match. Among the tips are technical reminders such as “try to keep to the baseline, make him move”, as well as more general advice, including: “Be good to yourself”.
Het briefje van Andy Murray. pic.twitter.com/6HGldmBndC
— Wilfred Genee (@wilfredgenee) February 17, 2015
The notes served him well during his win over the 24-year-old Canadian Vasek Pospisil in the second round but the quarter-final proved too much.
Speaking after the match, former coach Miles Maclagan told Sky: “I expected him to win but as he said in the interview, he got ‘out-Murrayed’. He was confused and didn’t quite know the balance to strike, which is so often what Murray does to his opponents.
“I just wonder whether perhaps the emotional batteries haven’t been recharged yet. The Australian Open was an incredible effort from him and that big final was a tough match for a long time, and it takes a long time for these guys to recover. He needs to make sure he does take his time off to recharge.”
http://t.co/9KMdQK5GgM pic.twitter.com/JoFQEntLQU
— Wilfred Genee (@wilfredgenee) February 17, 2015
Murray’s notes:
1 Be good to yourself
2 Try your best
3 Be intense with your legs
4 Be proactive during points
5 Focus on each point and the process
6 Try to be the one dictating
7 Try to keep him at the baseline, make him move
8 Keep going for your serve
9 Stick to the baseline as much as possible
10 Stay low on passes and use your legs
