US Open: Andy Murray magnanimous in defeat as he reflects on incredible summer despite Kei Nishikori loss

Andy Murray is always one of the most eloquent players in defeat. Some can be tetchy or monosyllabic in the wake of a loss, especially at a major tournament, but Murray is different. It is almost as if he enjoys unburdening his thoughts as the weight of expectation drops off his shoulders. The Scot hates losing as much as anyone, but he keeps defeats in perspective and always gives thoughtful responses to reporters’ questions, no matter how painful the defeat.

After his loss to Kei Nishikori here in the quarter-finals of the US Open, Murray was not exactly cracking jokes or sounding full of beans, but his very first words at his post-match press conference seemed a fair indication of his mood.

“I’m not disappointed in a way,” Murray said. “Obviously I would have loved to have won, but I have had a good run in every match. I would have loved to have gone further, but it wasn’t to be.”

If marriage and fatherhood have given Murray a broader outlook on life, that should not be confused with any weakening of his will to win. The world No 2 fought to the very end of his relentlessly dramatic 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 defeat to Nishikori in a match which could easily have gone his way, especially if his momentum had not been disrupted by the controversial moment early in the fourth set which proved to be a turning point.

When the umpire, Marija Cicak, stopped a rally that Murray was about to win because of a loud bleep from a malfunctioning sound system, the Scot had been on the brink of breaking serve to go 2-1 up. Seven games later he was trailing 2-0 in the final set, having failed to win another game.

It was desperately close in the end, but Murray recognised that there had been other occasions in recent weeks when he might have lost matches.

“At the Olympics I was down against Steve Johnson a couple of times and I was down a break in the third set against [Fabio] Fognini,” he said. “Against [Jo-Wilfried] Tsonga at Wimbledon I was up, but that could have gone the other way at the beginning of the fifth set. It happens sometimes. You win them. I have won a lot over the last few months, but I couldn’t quite get it going my way this time.”

While defeat always hurts, Murray was able to see the wider picture. After the best run of his career he was just two wins away from becoming only the fourth man in the Open era to play in all four Grand Slam finals in the same year.

Murray lost to Novak Djokovic in the finals of the Australian and French Opens, but since early June he has won Wimbledon, the Olympics and the Aegon Championships and reached the quarter-finals of the US Open and the final of the Cincinnati Masters. He won 26 out of 27 matches and reached seven finals in succession.

“I pushed myself as hard as I could over the last few months and I’m very proud of how I have done,” Murray said. “If someone had offered me the summer that I have had before Wimbledon, I probably would have signed for that.”

open image in gallery

He added: “After a few days away I would imagine I’d be very happy with how I have done. I’ll learn from this match and from the summer as a whole, because it’s been tough. It’s been a hard summer. I’m happy with how it’s gone.”

Murray headed for the airport within a couple of hours of his defeat. The show went on here at Flushing Meadows, with Stan Wawrinka beating Juan Martin del Potro 7-6 4-6 6-3 6-2 to secure a semi-final showdown on Friday with Nishikori, but for Murray it was time to start thinking ahead to the next challenge in his demanding summer.

Murray looks likely to be the key figure in Britain’s Davis Cup semi-final against Argentina in Glasgow beginning in eight days’ time and knows he needs to recover quickly from his exertions here.

“Davis Cup does take a lot out of you,” Murray said. “It’s tough, especially if you play all three days. I’ll need to be smart over the next few days to make sure that I recover not only physically but also mentally because it’s always a stressful few days.”

He added: “Obviously I’ll look forward to the match. It should be a great, great atmosphere, a great occasion, even though I would like a little bit more time off, which obviously I will get when Davis Cup is done.

“This Slam in particular is a tough one for all of the players, especially the ones who have done well over the summer period on the hard courts.”

open image in gallery

Glasgow will not be the end of Murray’s season by any means. He is due to play tournaments in Beijing, Shanghai and Vienna next month before the year-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena in London. He will be hoping that his own season finishes a week later at the Davis Cup final on the last weekend of November.

Murray will have plenty to play for in the coming weeks. He still has the world No 1 ranking in his sights and will make ground on Djokovic next week even if the Serb retains his title here. Djokovic meets Gael Monfils in the semi-finals.

Ask many beaten players who they think will go on to win a tournament and you will often get a reply along the lines of: “I don’t know and I don’t care.”

Murray, however, had a view and was happy to share it. “I’d say Novak would be the favourite,” he said. “There are obviously top, top players left in the tournament. Gael has been playing very well, but I think in their head-to-head record Novak has had quite a bit of success.”

He added: “Kei is obviously capable on this surface of beating the best players and has beaten Novak here, as well. I would put Novak as the favourite, but everyone’s got a chance.”