‘Andy Murray groundstrokes are too straight, even compared to Jack Sock,’ says Mischa Zverev

Mischa Zverev says Andy Murray struggles to pack a punch in his groundstrokes, unlike Rafael Nadal.

Zverev won the last time he faced Murray on court, in the last 16 of the 2017 Australian Open. Murray was world number one at the time, but the German won the match in four sets.

On the day, Murray struggled to conjure passing shots when Zverev came to the net and he was relatively well-beaten in the end.

That meeting appears to have shaped Zverev’s opinion of Murray, and he believes he ultimately compares poorly to the other members of what was once called the ‘big four.’

“Murray can’t accelerate,” Zverev recently told Tennis Magazin. “That sounds strange for a player of his class, but he doesn’t have the train in his arms like Rafa or Federer or even a Jack Sock.

“I had played Rafa in Brisbane the week before and lost one and one. No chance. He could pass me 19 different ways.

“I couldn’t read his punches. They were too fast and also had topspin, so I sometimes had the feeling that he was flying to the tarpaulin. But he still fell in the back.

“Murray’s forehand and backhand are relatively straight.”

Andy Murray is still struggling to find consistency in 2022 so far, although he is hoping to earn a seeded position in the US Open draw. He will face Taylor Fritz in the first round of the Canadian Open – exactly the kind of draw he is trying to avoid in New York by being seeded.

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