A beaten man: an angry Andy Murray allows his frustration to boil over in the Florida heatThe eyes looked slightly moist and the head was hung low. Never before has Andy Murray appeared such a picture of despondency as he was in the wake of Saturday night's defeat at the Sony Ericsson Open.
And later came the startling revelation that he has, for the moment, fallen out of love with the game that is his life.
'I need to start enjoying my tennis again. This has been going on for a few weeks now,' he admitted after losing 6-4, 6-4 to Mardy Fish.
So to add to the list of woes currently afflicting British tennis, such as Davis Cup humiliations and parliamentary hearings about the sport's administration, there is now turmoil in the mind of the country's one genuine championship contender.
This is all quite a turnaround. For a fleeting few weeks 12 months ago when he won the title here and Roger Federer was in meltdown, Murray was being acclaimed as the best player in the world.
Less than two months ago he looked to be an honourable second best, having lost out in the final of the Australian Open to a completely restored Federer.
Yet on Saturday against Fish, albeit a dangerous early round opponent, he was unrecognisable.
The consistently short forehand seemed to be that of a humble journeyman, while his appalling body language was that of someone who would rather have been anywhere than defending a major title against a player ranked 101 in the world.
In deeply pensive mood later on, third seed Murray, who received a first-round bye, assured everyone that there were no hidden problems in the background. He said: 'I've been very happy off the court but just not on it, and that's where I need to be happy because that's my career, this is what I do. It's only me who can figure it out.
Hangover: Murray has won just two of five matches since the Australian Open'People think sportsmen are different to other people but we're not - we all go through bad patches. I've got to get back to how I felt in Australia at the start of the season.'
Murray was emphatic that his malaise, which has seen him win just two of five completed matches since Melbourne, is not down to any profound reassessment since losing to Federer.And he also stressed that he is happy with the team around him.
It is fair to speculate, however, that his fortunes mirroring those of the British game might not be entire coincidence. His performances and those of Elena Baltacha and Laura Robson gave cause for much optimism in January, but that has largely been washed away.
Murray has been constantly asked about British tennis of late, and was doubtless hurt by John Lloyd's retrospective bitching about his non-participation in the recent Davis Cup debacle.
There was even a polite request last week from his handlers that questions on the subject be given a rest.
Murray's conqueror: American Mardy FishEvery time the ongoing crisis within the British game comes to the fore, it can only be a reminder to Murray of the pressures associated with being the one serious hope from the country which hosts Wimbledon. This adds considerably to his marketability and wealth, but it is an onerous position to be in.
Clearly, there is also a debate in his head and around his team about whether the essentially counter-punching style that is his instinct is ever going to be quite enough to land him one of the sport's major prizes.
He tried out a more attacking mode at the recent Dubai Championships and not only did he lose in the second round, but he was also given an official rebuke for openly stating - not very tactfully - that he had been experimenting and defeat there was not the end of the world. 'Maybe it is just something to do with my game,' he ventured.
This is a good time for the European clay court season to arrive, as it is the one time of year when Murray does not have to contend with especially high expectations.
There is now a good chance that he will add next month's Monte Carlo Open to his schedule as an early exit here means extra time to prepare for the dirt.
Top-ranked Federer held every service game and won his opening match by beating Nicolas Lapentti 6-3, 6-3.
Federer, the champion in 2005-06, has an inviting path to the final with Murray now out because world No 2 Novak Djokovic was eliminated on Friday.
Rafael Nadal will now overtake Murray for the world No 3 spot in the next set of rankings, while Fish advances to the third round of this event for the first time since 2003.
source :dailymail
