Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome

[1] Andy Murray (GBR) vs. [29] Fabio Fognini (ITA)

Fognini is a talented player; however, the variable has always been whether or not he wanted to make the commitment.  Tonight he made the commitment in front of the home crowd and there was not much Murray could do to derail him.  Frankly if Fognini did not get a little tight serving for the match, the score would have been 6-2, 6-2.  This was not the test that Murray wanted at this stage of his comeback as he continues to struggle to find his game and each loss can only further erode his confidence.  As the defending champion, he will lose those points when the new rankings come out next Monday.

Psychologically he will go into Roland Garros feeling uncertain about the state of his game and having not gone very far in most of his recent tournaments, he will also have questions about his fitness.  Five set matches on clay demand a certain level of physical fitness and endurance and he has struggled since his return in that area as well.  As the number one ranked player, he is also carrying the weight of expectations on his shoulder and all of this combined will make things a tad uncomfortable for him in the next few weeks.   Can he work his way into the French Open? Anything is possible and no doubt Murray will do everything he can to get back to the final; however, based on his current form it will not be easy.

Fognini won 6-2, 6-4 playing the most consistently brilliant tennis from start to finish that I have ever seen from him.  He was inspired by the home crowd and was mentally engaged the entire match.  How far will he go after this impressive display?

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