With Wimbledon on the horizon, one can only fear for Andy Murray.
In the French Open, admittedly played on a surface never imagined by the inventors of 'Lawn Tennis', Murray was overwhelmed by David Ferrer, a decent player but one who was slaughtered in the semi-final by his compatriot and the eventual champion, Rafael Nadal.
Today, Murray lost at Queen's Club to the unranked Frenchman, Nicholas Mahut. Mahut's only real claim to fame is his participation in the ridiculous set he played against the American John Isner a couple of years ago and that ended 70-68, though in whose favour no one can remember.
Is it possible that Nadal, Djokovic or Federer would have lost to Mahut ? Of course not. Murray simply doesn't have 'it'.
'It' is the winning mentality. Don't get me wrong, Murray is a good player but, sadly, that's all he is. When it comes to big tournaments and big matches, he can't 'hack it'. A few years ago I was convinced that Murray would win at least one Grand Slam event in his career - I was wrong. His chances are reducing by the day and his recent performances really demonstrate that he is not only no match for Djokovic, Nadal and Federer in the big tournaments, he is also stretched by lesser players.
If Murray is ever to win a major tournament, he will have to grow up, very quickly given that he is already 25. Compared with his main rivals, Murray still looks like an overgrown schoolboy, rather than a fully grown man; his manner is that of a spoilt teenager rather than that of an adult.
I wish him well at Wimbledon and hope against hope that the best player this country has produced in 75 years will triumph, but I have no expectations. He simply isn't good enough to compete with the very best in the world.
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