Yesterday saw Andy Murray rise to number 2 in the world tennis rankings after his win over David Ferrer in Florida. At one point during the match a commentator remarked that Murray would become the second best player in the world as a consequence of a victory, something which is, of course, nothing to do with official rankings.
Murray's win was, at best, messy and lucky. The match was horribly scrappy with both players perpetrating huge numbers of unforced errors; it was anything but a match between 2 of the supposedly best players in the world. That the points gained from his win move him above Roger Federer in the official ATP rankings means only that he has gained more points over the last 12 months than the Swiss; it does not mean that he is a better player.
In fact, Murray continues to be a serious disappointment. His pained demeanour throughout yesterday's match contrasted hugely with that of his opponent and it also contrasts vastly with the usual positive and upbeat demeanours of Djokovic, Federer and Nadal. Murray may be the number 2 ranked player in the world but he is far from being the second best. Djokovic is the best and Nadal probably number 2; on his day, Federer is still number 3 and Murray is vying for 4th spot with the likes of Ferrer and Del Potro.
Neither ranking points nor the excessive enthusiasm of commentators can change this.
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