Andy Murray & The US Open

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I listened to Andy Murray's 2nd rnd exit on the radio until nearly 1am and then went to bed frustrated.

Not because Andy went out in the 2nd round.

Not because Andy got cramp in the fifth set.

And not because it took Andy nearly two full sets to get a foothold in the game.

I was frustrated because of the negative comments of the commentator and the expected backlash by the media (a backlash that didn't transpire, but more on that later).

I could see the thoughts of the average joe, "Oh, Andy Murray lost at Wimbledon because he got cramp and now he's lost at the US Open because he got cramp. GB tennis players are rubbish".

The level of reporting on Andy Murray between Grand Slams has been relatively low so most people will have missed his many successes.

How about two challenger tournament victories? The second of which required Andy to play the Qtr-Final, Semi-Final and the Final in just two days?

What about Andy beating the highly-rated Taylor Dent in Cincinatti?

What about the fact that Andy has played back-to-back tournaments since Wimbledon taking him to the brink of the top 100?

I got the feeling that the commentator was unaware of Andy's successes as he clearly expected Andy to capitulate very early on in the third set. If he'd cared to check Andy's recent record he might have noticed that when he is defeated, he doesn't go down in straight sets.

As it happens, much of the media were positive about Andy's performance and recognised that a 5-set match two days earlier along with being forced to play 3 qualifying matches in 3 days (to play in a tournament that he should certainly have been offered a wildcard for), would be a physical challenge for most 18 year olds.

Playing in these tough games can only boost Andy's abilities, confidence and experience and any neutral observer should be able to see the improvement in his game since Wimbledon only a few short months ago.

It's appealing to consider where Andy will be in 1-2 years time. I'll be following him every step of the way. In the non-stalker sense of the word - ahem.