JohnFMurray.com

WHEN Brad Gilbert was confirmed as Andy Murrays new coach this week he wasted no time in getting to the crux of the Scots problem: I need to train him more like a boxer, Gilbert said. He needs to get tougher and stronger.

In order for Murray to compete at the very highest level of the game, he must couple his exceptional natural ability ” which has taken him to No 36 in the world rankings ” with a ferocious physical fitness. From cramping at Queens Club on his debut in 2005, to vomiting at the US Open, to growing pains in Paris this year, Murrays career has so far been peppered with moments of physical ineptitude.

So when Gilbert suggested that the Scot must bulk up, he conjured up images of Rafael Nadal. The Spanish world No 2 is the consummate competitor: bursting with muscles, he is like a wild animal on the prowl, a matador, a swashbuckler. Stand Andy Murray shoulder to shoulder with Nadal and, apart from their age ” 19 and 20 respectively ” there is simply no comparison. Murray has no such physical presence. He lopes and he mopes.

So what must Murray do in order to become more like Nadal? First, it is a question of putting in the hours in the gym. Andy wants to become physically like Nadal, it’s plain and simple, it has got to come from him, Kieron Vorster, the LTAs former head of fitness, said. Hes got to identify the importance of fitness, which he hasn’t done so far in his career. Do I think hes lazy? Yes I do.

“You can’t go on hiding behind excuses, like the growing pains. Hes got to get his head around the fact that he’s going to have to work hard. He’s a phenomenally gifted player, a natural athlete, but that’s not enough. Andy needs to spend more time in the gym. For four to six weeks after the US Open Andy should concentrate on his fitness. [He should do] 1½ hours running in the early morning, then 1½ hours in the gym.

“Of course Andy can become as fit as Rafael Nadal but he will never replicate his physique. Andy’s game is different and he doesnt rely so much on fitness but he still needs to be in incredible shape. Thats the difference between where he is now and the next level.

Nadal’s strength comes not only from his body but also from his mind. His ability to compete and to get under the skin of his opponent, illustrated by his dominance of Roger Federer, the world No 1, this year, is something that Murray has yet to develop.

“Nadal is the ultimate positive source, whereas Andy tends to appear a little bit lacking in motivation, Dr John Murray, a leading US tennis psychologist, said. Murray is never going to be Rafael Nadal but he seems like he has a lot of ways in which he can maximise his game mentally. I am a great supporter of him.

{Clarification: The above paragraph might appear miselading. Dr. Murray did not imply here that Andy cannot be as good or better than Nadal, only that they have different games an styles. In the comment about his motivation, Dr. Murray actually told the reporter that all great athletes need mental coaching and that some including John McEnroe on national television have questioned his body language … and that Dr. Murray is a big advocate of Andy Murray}

Dr Murray made a point of introducing himself to Murray at Wimbledon this year and offered him a copy of his self-help book, Smart Tennis. Murray response? I chucked the book in the bin, he said at the time. One doubts Nadal would have done the same.

{It should be noted that later Murray admitted he was just having fun on his blog and did not toss the book}

MAKING A NEW MAN OF MURRAY

Yes Andy, you too could have a body like Rafaels. You just have to adopt a few Spanish practices and tweak your daily training schedule slightly

MURRAY

7.00: No idea what that time means

10.00: Struggles out of bed, finishes off the Mars bar on his bedside table for breakfast

11.00: On court for a training session, stretches a bit, talks about last nights episode of Prison Break

1.30: Times his lunch to coincide with Neighbours

3.00: Wakes up from siesta – he learnt that in Spain – and stretches a bit

3.30: Gets back on court and plays a couple of tie-breaks with his hitting partner

5.00: Exhausted, goes home and reads a copy of Mens Health magazine, thinks about doing some weights

6.00-midnight: Plays on his X-Box and settles down with a takeaway pizza to watch Big Brother

NADAL

7.00: Breakfast of four Shredded Wheat

8.00: On to the court for a two-hour training session, including solid hitting, shuttle runs and skipping

10.00: Break

10.30: Back on court for two more hours of training, focusing on cardio-vascular exercise

12.30: Lunch

2.30: Into the gym for weight training, concentrating on power, especially through bench presses

4.30: Warm down

5.00: Home to play computer games and dream about tennis

If Landis is indeed guilty of using illegal substances to win, it raises the question: Why do so many athletes think they can beat the system and win by cheating?

“It’s bizarre to me at this stage of drug testing and focus on sportsmanship that these athletes feel they can defy science and logic,” said David Carter, a professor of sports business at University of Southern California. “Their need to win and win at all cost must, in their mind, trump reality.”

Landis’ Phonak team suspended him on Thursday after learning he had tested positive for “an unusual level of testosterone/epitestosterone” during Stage 17 of the Tour, which ended Sunday. Landis made his remarkable comeback through the Alps during that stage.

Landis could become the first Tour de France winner stripped of the title.

Landis isn’t guilty yet since test results from a backup “B” sample are still being processed.

The 30-year-old American cyclist said the court of public opinion has already decided.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s ever going to go away, no matter what happens next,” Landis said in a teleconference.

When asked if he took any banned substances to win, he replied: “No.”

The backup sample can take up to two weeks to process, but Landis is experiencing a marketing fallout from the allegations. A congratulations message on team sponsor Phonak’s Web site was replaced with a warning that Landis will be dismissed if sample “B” returns positive. Other reports say Landis will not appear on the “Tonight Show” today as scheduled.

“My opinion is when he comes out on top of this, everyone will think so much more of him,” his mother said.

“So that’s what valleys are for, right?” Arlene Landis told reporters outside her home in eastern Pennsylvania.

If he cheated, there will be plenty of short-term financial consequences for Landis, Carter said. But in the long run, it’s up to fans to hold him accountable. It’s the same race already run by some of baseball’s elite players and myriad big names in track, several of whom have been implicated in the infamous BALCO scandal in the Bay Area.

“The sports industry won’t change unless there is a business reason to do so,” Carter said. “Fans haven’t voted with their wallets and remote controls. There hasn’t been meaningful financial ramifications, so sports just continue down this path.”

Sports psychologist John Murray said athletes who cheat to win are driven by ego and, when successful, it’s financially rewarding.

Murray said drugs in sports are more prevalent than most people theorize, which is why testing has become such an important part of keeping it clean. Some athletes can’t be trusted to police themselves.

“It comes back to their competitive nature and finding every advantage to success,” Murray said. “It sometimes overrides clear thinking.”

But that wasn’t the case for Mari Holden, an Olympic cycling silver medalist, who said in a telephone interview that she couldn’t sleep at night if she knew she was cheating. Holden, of Colorado Springs, Colo., said she hopes Landis’ test results come back negative because she feels her sport is being picked on enough.

“I personally don’t think there is an excuse for cheating,” said Holden, who is an athlete ambassador for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. “Obviously, there is a lot of pressure in sports. People want to win.”

Holden said she felt that pressure and knew if she desired to use performance-enhancers, it would be fairly easy to find someone to help her. As her career winds down, Holden said she’s happy she’s accomplished everything while clean.

“I wanted to look at my results and know they were mine,” Holden, 36, said. “That didn’t matter if it was second place or 10th place. There is definitely pressure in sports and you can see why it’s tempting.”

In doping scandals, most of the attention goes on the perpetrator, not the runner-up victim who is robbed of a fair race or game. Second-place Tour de France finisher Oscar Pereiro, who would become champion if Landis is not cleared, said winning at this point would not feel the same.

“Should I win the Tour now, it would feel like an academic victory,” Pereiro told the Associated Press at his home in Vigo, Spain. “The way to celebrate a win is in Paris, otherwise it’s just a bureaucratic win.”

Suzy Favor Hamilton knows how that feels. The three-time track and field Olympian said she sometimes wonders how many more titles she would have won had her sport been drug-free.

Favor Hamilton’s running rival Regina Jacobs likely cost her a few titles. Jacobs retired in 2004 after receiving a four-year suspension for testing positive for the steroid THG. Favor Hamilton finished second to Jacobs seven times in the 1,500 meters at the U.S. Championships.

Jacobs was forced to forfeit the 1,500-meter title she won in 2003 to second-place finisher Favor Hamilton.

“I wish it was fair when I was playing,” Favor Hamilton said while in Sacramento to be honored at the NCAA Division I Track and Field Championship in June. “That bothers me.”

There is a way to stop the culture of cheating in sports, said Peter Roby, director of the Center for the Study of Sport in Society. He said it starts with teaching kids to value more than just winning and providing a context of playing for more than just oneself. Roby said if an athlete has a high esteem for their teammates or the organization they represent, then there is less desire to cheat.

“The lack of perspective of why you are competing in the first place drives you to those decisions,” Roby said. “There is nothing inherent about being a competitor that drives you to cheat. It’s happens when you need to win to satisfy your ego or benefit you financially.”

Understanding the consequences is key. Carter said if Landis did cheat, it’s not only destroying his integrity but further sullying the sport of cycling. On the eve of the Tour de France, a number of cyclists were tied to the Spanish doping scandal “Operation Puerto,” including pre-race favorites Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso.

While as many as 200 athletes may have received performance-enhancing drugs in that scandal, only cyclists have been tied to it so far.

“I don’t get why they don’t think it will happen to them when there is litany of athletes behind them who have kneecapped their marketing and alienated their fan base,” Carter said.

While I only met Brad Gilbert once, in a brief hello at Wimbledon this year, I truly enjoyed reading his book “Winning Ugly” long after my tennis coaching days when I was competing as an Open player in the mid-1990s. I finished 1996 ranked #16 in the Men’s Open Singles division in Florida as a slighlty overweight graduate student competing with former pros, coaches and juniors. Brad’s wisdom in “Winning Ugly” helped and I’ve enjoyed his commentary on television from the major tournaments. When I wrote “Smart Tennis” in 1999, I only recommended two other mental tennis books, and one was “Winning Ugly.” I am impressed with Gilbert’s playing and coaching career and his ability to get the most out of his talent.

Every rising star needs a good coach. I also believe that a good sport psychologist enhances any player along with good coaching. Sport psychology combines knoweldge and inspiration to supplement great coaching. Legitimate sport psychologists have many years of academic as well as practical experience. It is a signficant science and a subtle art that borrows from over 100 years of research.

Why all the interest in Andy Murray’s success? My interest in British tennis goes back 5-6 years when I began mental training workshops in London. Andy Murray’s success is Great Britain’s success. I want to see tennis prosper in this great country the way it did in the USA in the mid-70s. Naturally I support American tennis too, and I would not be surprised if Jimmy Connors helped Andy Roddick a lot, but if Andy Murray reaches #1 in the world, or even Top 10, British tennis will explode. Now do you see now why Brad Gilbert was a great pick? Now don’t let me down Brad and Andy! Go out there and do it!

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See More on Ritwik Here Here

Though the final between the two turned out to be a tame affair, Ritwik, the world No. 49, played a superb game, displaying excellent movement on court. Bhattacharya won in straight games at 11-4, 11-2, 11-7 in just 25 minutes.

Bennett took home USD 800 and a trophy for finishing runner-up.

This was JCT sponsored Bhattacharya’s fourth PSA career title.

The highlight of the match was the manner in which Bhattahcharya forced Bennet to make mistakes, most often during rallies. He made very good use of the side walls and was excellent in controlling his speed.

Though Bhattacharya got some negative points, he was precise in planning and execution of his game, coming up with superb winners on nearly five occasions in the three games.

In the first two games, he quickly shot up to 7-3 and 9-2 leads before winning them. It was a different story in the third, as Bennett, coached by his father, came back and in fact led 2-0 before surrendering it.

Once Bhattacharya drew level at 4-4 and then led at 8-5, Bennett, who has never won against his Indian rival in his earlier four meetings, threw in the towel.