Last week saw Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova shockingly thrash the former world number one, Amelie Mauresmo, in the opening round of the China Open in Beijing. Cibulkova may be a relatively unfamiliar name to many tennis fans but, at the tender age of 19, she is ranked at number 20 in the world. Mauresmo, on the other hand, has now fallen to number 25 in the world and was defeated by the 19 year-old Slovakian in just two and a half hours.

The former Wimbledon champion, who has also been victorious in the Australian Open, was quick to play down the wider significance of this defeat, expressing her desire to “digest this one and make sure I go back on the right track for the next few tournaments”. However, considering that Cibulkova’s victory was her second over Mauresmo in just one week, following her impressive win at the Pan Pacific Open, it seems that there are deeper issues affecting the French tennis legend.

Earlier this year, Mauresmo spoke of the possibility of retiring if her poor form continued. Following her second round exit at the Qatar Open at the hands of Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugar, she expressed her frustration at playing to half-empty stands. Mauresmo’s reasons for her poor form were typically vague: “I came to this tournament wanting to do well, but there’s always a grain of sand that gets in the works and clogs things up”. Worryingly, she ended her comments by publicly questioning her “desire” to continue playing the sport.

A couple of months later, in April of this year, Mauresmo was provided with the perfect chance to prove that she still had the hunger to compete at the top level of women’s tennis. She had been forced to miss the Italian and German Opens through injury but the start of the French Open saw an apparently rejuvenated Mauresmo return to home soil.

However, Spain’s Carla Suarez-Navarro cruised past the former world number one in the second round of the tournament. Once again, Mauresmo placed the blame for her poor form on vague factors: “I don’t know what to say right now because there was nothing much on my side [...] It’s a bit difficult for me to analyse all this”.

It is easy to view injury as the key factor behind Mauresmo’s continuing decline. After all, a series of injuries, including a niggling rib injury earlier this year, has blighted an otherwise promising career. However, there is a growing trend developing in Mauresmo’s post-match comments that hints at something deeper, something which seems to transcend mere physical problems.

The player has always spoken of a general lack of confidence and, to spectators, she has always appeared less mentally strong on the court than players such as Serena Williams. Earlier this year, Mauresmo stated that she was “looking...running after this confidence a little bit”. If the former Wimbledon and Australian Open champion is to regain her form and mount a realistic challenge for another title, she must overcome these emotional issues alongside her physical ones.

Written by Charlotte Cook

There are certain behavioural traits that make a British sports fan distinct from foreign sport fans. An obvious example is the typical British football fan’s penchant for choosing to wear no top in the pouring rain and freezing cold. However, another obvious example is the British fan’s charming tendency to create unbelievable hype out of the smallest success.

Take Theo Walcott for instance. The day after scoring an admittedly impressive hat-trick in the World Cup qualifier against Croatia, Walcott was being hailed by the press as the ‘new David Beckham’: the much-needed saviour of English football. Sadly, this kind of exaggerated hype has caused some sportsmen to crack under the pressure.

Scott Carson’s less than solid performances in the England goal during recent years provide one such example. One cause of this phenomenon is perhaps the undeserved nature of the hype and excessive praise. Did Scott Carson ever deserve to be heralded by The Sun newspaper as ‘England’s No. 1’ after one or two average performances in an England shirt?

British football fans have been largely deprived of excitement this summer due to the failure of the home nations to qualify for the European Championships. However, the world of tennis has proved an apt substitute. Following Andy Murray’s US Open final showdown against Roger Federer, the country has gone Murray mad.

The hype surrounding the young Scot has now reached epic proportions. Former British number one, Tim Henman, has been outspoken in his belief that Andy Murray can soon “become number one in the world” and “win not just one Slam but multiple Slams”. Henman has also been quoted as saying, “Next time he plays a Slam – in Australia, where the conditions are really good for him – he’ll really believe he can go all the way and win that tournament”.

Is Andy Murray really deserving of such exaggerated compliments? At the tender age of 21, the young Scot is a relative newcomer to the world of professional tennis and still has a lot to prove.

This attitude has not been a popular one in Britain since Murray’s performances over the summer. In recent months The Sun newspaper has printed the following headlines on its website: ‘Murray will rule the world’, ‘Andy’s the 007 of world tennis’, ‘Andy win sparks ‘Murray mania’’, ‘Murray is the Win-cinnati kid’, ‘Murray is set to join the big fish’, ‘Andy is feeling just Grand’, ‘The one and only’, ‘Hero Andy through to US Open semi-final’.

These headlines have been replicated in most of Britain’s newspapers, particularly the tabloids, recently. However, one voice of reason has spoken out from the Telegraph. Kevin Garside, reporting from New York, recognises the “Murraymania” that has “washed over Britain like an Olympic aftershock, providing the nation with another inoculation against the credit crunch and sodden skies”.

Garside continues to state that “the euphoric after taste of victory over world No. 1 Nadal in Sunday’s delayed semi-final was beautiful while it lasted. It allowed us to believe for 24 hours at least that Murray might convert a grand slam opportunity at the first time of asking. Delusion is a wonderful thing”.

It is not just members of the British press who have raised concerns over the growing pressure and ridiculous hype being placed on the young shoulders of Andy Murray. Mats Wilander, former US Open Champion, believes that “Murray is a smart player”. However, Wilander has been far more realistic than Henman and a large proportion of the Great British public in his views concerning Murray’s immediate prospects, stating “he has reached number four in the world and I think he’ll stay up there”.

Tennis legend, Pat Cash, has similarly stated that although Murray has “shown himself as a real threat to the top three in the world”, there is “still a little gap between the top three and the rest, but Andy deserves to be number four, no doubt about that”. Henman’s opinion that Murray can win the next Grand Slam can be placed into perspective by Steven Martins, the player director of the Lawn Tennis Association. Martins believes that “it’s not inevitable that Andy will win a Grand Slam but it’s definitely not impossible”.

Austrian tennis player, Jurgen Melzer, is set to face Andy Murray in this weekend’s Davis Cup promotion tie. Melzer has stated his anxiety over Murray’s situation: “The whole country expects him to win the Davis Cup by himself. After playing such a great Grand Slam I think it’s tough to get your head clear and to focus for the next one and that’s the big thing. It’s a lot of pressure on his shoulders”.

The Davis Cup promotion tie against Austria will provide Murray with the perfect opportunity to prove these critics wrong. The player believes that he is personally capable of coping with the ever-increasing hype and pressure that has surrounded him since the US Open, stating “I’m confident I’ll be able to handle the pressure”.

When asked by a journalist whether he believed he could cope with the new weight of expectation on his shoulders, Murray sarcastically replied: “There’s so much pressure on me to play well – I don’t know if I’ll be able to deal with it”. Whether Murray’s confidence is misplaced or not remains to be seen in the long-term but Sunday’s match against Melzer is sure to provide interesting viewing in light of the Austrian’s recent comments.

You can follow Murray’s (and Britain’s) progress on BBC 1 and 2 over the weekend. Friday the 19th September sees Murray up against Peya, whilst Bogdanovic takes on Melzer. Play starts at 11.00am. Jamie Murray (and possibly Andy, depending upon the decision of British captain John Lloyd) will be involved in the doubles match against Melzer and Knowle on Saturday with play starting at 1.00pm, and Sunday sees Andy Murray compete against Melzer, with Bogdanovic playing against Peya. Sunday’s play starts at 11.00am.

Written by Charlotte Cook

Andy Murray has made it all the way to the semi-finals at Flushing Meadow but is up against the man that is Rafael Nadal.

Can Murray beat the rain and beat the reigning world #1?