Andy Murray's training block with Ivan Lendl: Serve, return, sorting out a plan among key points to work on

It’s spring break time for Andy Murray.

Murray is set for some time away from competitive tennis after losing to Daniil Medvedev in the second round of the Miami Open. The three-time Grand Slam champion is 10-8 for the season and has broken back into the top 100, but will not play the clay season and will instead have a training block with newly-appointed coach Ivan Lendl. The pair are working together for a third time and will spend four weeks together in Orlando as they look to get Murray in the best shape possible for the grass season and beyond.

But what are the key areas that Murray will be hoping to improve during his time with Lendl?

It has been a frustrating start to 2022 for Murray in more ways than one.

The results on the court have largely not been there - aside from a run to the Sydney Classic final - and Murray went through several coaching trials before making the decision to reunite with Lendl. The coaching search appeared to be bothering him - Murray suggested “mixed messages” were hindering his progress - and sometimes the emotions have come out on the court. In his defeat to Facundo Bagnis to start the year Murray slammed his racquet and punched his bag, and even in victory over Nikoloz Basilashvili at the Australian Open he angrily hit a ball after losing a point.

Murray knows the outbursts are not beneficial, and hopes the return of Lendl will calm things down a touch.

“I think a lot of that comes from being clear in my head and believing in the things I’m working on. The trust in the people that are around me and the messages that I’m getting,” he said.

“When I’m on the court, and I’m not feeling that, and my game feels crap, I feel more stressed on the court. I’m aware that I play better if I’m being more focused on what’s happening down the other end of the court, rather than focusing on myself and how I’m feeling and everything. But, yeah, psychology is a funny thing.”

At his peak Murray was 100 per cent dialled in throughout a match, giving every point his maximum focus. At times this year that hasn’t been the case, such as against Medvedev when he played a poor game to get broken to love early in the match. That break cost him the set, as did another sloppy service game against Jannik Sinner in Dubai when Murray missed all four first serves at 5-5. To compound matters, Murray admitted he “responded poorly to that mentally”.

Even at his very best Murray’s serve was never the greatest on tour, but recently it has contributed to his struggles. His first-serve percentage has been down, he has missed first serves at crucial moments, and his second serve has been pounced upon by better opponents, such as Medvedev, who won 73 per cent of points behind it in the second set of their meeting.

Murray’s serve improved plenty during his previous spells with Lendl, even though the Czech said he was hesitant to change anything technique related.

“I don’t believe in that when you’re 27 or 29,” Lendl said in 2016. “What you have is what you are going to have. You can groove certain things, but changing technique is not where I’m going to go.”

Perhaps again it’s a case of Murray being more focused on every serve, or having more of a plan, or maybe Lendl has spotted something and can help eek out a bit of improvement.

While Murray’s serve was not the world’s greatest even at his peak, Murray has been up there with Novak Djokovic as one of the world’s greatest returners, but even that has dropped off.

Murray ranks 81st in the world for first-serve return points won over the last 52 weeks (27.5 per cent) and 26th for second-serve return points won (51.5 per cent). When he does get chances to break he isn’t doing great either: he ranks 84th for break-point conversion rate (36.2 per cent). In defeat to Medvedev in Miami, Murray failed to even fashion a single break-point opportunity.

“The two key things in tennis are serve and return. I didn't do either of them particularly well,” said Murray.

This is shaping up to be a significant summer for Murray.

In skipping the clay swing, Murray is hoping to approach the grass season in the very best form and fitness possible. Murray says he is also looking for some “clarity” from Lendl over how he plays and how he practises.

"It probably won't happen overnight because some of the mistakes that I've been making technically have been probably happening for 18 months or so, so it takes a bit of time to break those habits. I'll need to put in a lot of work on them to change that.

“Hence that is one of the reasons I am taking a big period of training to try to change some of those things and get my game into a place where it’s more competitive against the top players again.”

What is Murray’s plan going to be when he returns to the tour? Is he going to be more aggressive from the baseline? Is he going to come into the net more? Is he going to try and outlast opponents?

Murray has been involved in a number of lengthy matches over the past 12 months and while he has won some, that doesn’t seem like the most productive way to go at his age. Being aggressive might be easier said than done, but it’s clear that Murray needs guidance on what’s the best option for him right now. Against Medvedev he was utilising his backhand slice a lot, but there were questions over what purpose it served and whether he could have done more with the shot, or chosen another shot.

If Murray has a clear plan on court he should be more focused and far less likely to waste energy.