Andy Murray’s Blueprint to Overtake Novak Djokovic for the No. 1 Ranking

Andy Murray continues his sizzling summer as the No. 1 seed at the Cincinnati Western & Southern Open, hot on the heels of winning the men’s singles gold medal in the Olympics Games. He’s suddenly in position to reach new territory in his career with a chance at the world’s top ranking in the months ahead.

Two months ago, the Scottish superstar had trailed rival Novak Djokovic by over 8,000 points in the ATP rankings at the conclusion of the French Open. The Serb had looked invincible, holding all four major titles and finally conquering the clay courts at Roland Garros. Murray was the No. 2 player in the rankings, but he may as well have been paddling from the other side of the world.

Then Djokovic was ousted in the third round at Wimbledon while Murray snapped a three-year drought without a major title by claiming that major.

After Wimbledon glory, Andy Murray sets his sights on the World No. 1 ranking – SK Tennis https://t.co/GPGLXbzt2U

— AndyMurray_news (@AndyMurray_news) July 12, 2016

From there, Djokovic won the Rogers Cup and Murray the Olympics gold medal. The big takeaway is that Djokovic has been reeling a bit compared to his ridiculously high dominance, while Murray has been playing stellar tennis since his reunion with coach Ivan Lendl prior to Wimbledon.

Could Murray actually track down Djokovic in the months ahead and claim the No. 1 ranking? What needs to happen?

Motivated Murray

Great Britain’s Davis Cup captain Leon Smith has watched Murray grow throughout his professional career, and he had a hand in guiding their 2015 Davis Cup championship. Smith is not prone to hyperbole, but he was genuine in talking about Murray’s improvements a few days before winning Wimbledon, according to Press Association Sport (h/t Eurosport):

I think he’s playing his best tennis of his life. He’s continued to improve so many areas of his game.

Even from when he won here (2013) and the US Open (2012), you look at his game and his second serve in particular is so much improved.

His net play, his confidence going forward – you just look at the stats from this (Wimbledon) week and he’s come forward with a lot of success. And the aggression of his game. He’s playing closer to the baseline, dictating a lot of the points.

The more aggressive approach was something that coach Lendl guided during their successful stint from 2012-14, when Murray won two majors and the 2012 gold medal in singles.

It’s no coincidence that he is playing with greater passion and finding more opportunities to attack under Lendl. This bodes well for upcoming tournaments at Cincinnati and the U.S. Open, where Murray is better on quicker surfaces than the slow, …

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