The fate and fortune of Jamie Murray are made in fractions of a second. The energetic lunge at the net complemented by the deftest of volleys, the whiplash lefty serve with its kicking spin, the disguised lob over the forlorn opponent are all microseconds in the execution but years in the making.
Murray deals in moments but he has also been formed by a past that has been difficult. He is focused on a future that seeks success, not least in his birthplace of Glasgow.
Yet five years ago, he was considering whether to continue in the sport. On Saturday night he will try to win his sixth Grand Slam final, contesting the mixed doubles final at the US Open with partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
Jamie Murray and his doubles partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands are in the US Open final
Murray has become one of the finest doubles players on the planet in recent years
At 32, he can reflect on a career that has also been marked by a world No 1 ranking in the doubles and a Davis Cup victory. But in 2013 he was playing with a succession of partners in a career that seemed becalmed if not holed below the waterline.
'A lot has gone on since then,' says Murray from New York where he reached the quarter-finals of the men's doubles with Bruno Soares on the back of victories in Washington and Cincinnati.
'I am more confident in my tennis ability and my standing in the game, I guess. But there have not been any big changes as a person.' The change in fortune occurred after a family conference with mother, Judy, and brother, Andy. 'The key to the turnaround? I went back to working with Louis Cayer,' says Jamie of the Canadian regarded as peerless in doubles coaching.
The next step was to team up with Jonathan Peers as a partner.
'We worked hard with Louis to build a team. We had some success very early in our partnership and that gave us belief.' Murray has always been regarded as one of the world's 'nice guys' but this does not preclude a hardness even ruthlessness in competition.
His toughness, surely, has been given an extra veneer by a life that saw him drop from one of the great singles prospects to scrambling about in the foothills of doubles.
As a youngster Murray was second best in the world but never flourished as a singles player
At 13, he was ranked the second best junior player in the world. But 14 years later, he was wondering if his livelihood had to be earned without a tennis court.
'In any sport you have to show resilience to get to the top because you go through so many ups and downs,' he says.
'If you have been through the bad times, then you appreciate the good times more.'
'I was at a fairly high level at a young age. Yes, I started to drop down and I lost my way a little bit, but I always knew that I could do good things on a tennis court.
'I had lost direction, lost my way. Louis helped me get me back on track. Not just with tennis shots but with the performance aspect.
'You can have all the skills in the world but if you are not able to perform then they are useless.'
Murray won the 2007 mixed doubles title at Wimbledon with singles star Jelena Jankovic
The days of scrambling around pre-tournament for a partner are gone. Murray and Soares enter every tournament as major threats. When he opts to play mixed doubles, too, Murray has the cachet to attract the very best. He won the 2007 mixed doubles title at Wimbledon with a then outstanding singles player, Jelena Jankovic.
Ten years later, he won majors at Wimbledon and the US with Martina Hingis and this year he lost in the final at the All England Club with Victoria Azarenka by his side.
His dance card as a doubles player is filled with the greats of the game: Hingis, Azarenka, his brother, Greg Rusedski and Tim Henman. These are brief dalliances, though, mostly restricted to Grand Slam tournaments or Davis Cup. The relationship with Soares, though, is built to endure.
'We complement each other on court and we have a good relationship off court that helps with the longevity of the partnership,' he says of the 36-year-old Brazilian with whom he has won two majors (US and Australian Opens in 2016).
'He is relaxed but a good competitor. We have worked on this, too.
'You have to be aware that your behaviour can impact on your partner, how he is feeling on court. It is important to try to be the best partner you can be for your mate.
'That's a skill in itself. Not everyone can do that.' He speaks of mixed doubles being fun but adds: 'It's different with Bruno. It's our business.'
He has, of course, achieved significant success with another partner. A certain Andrew Barron Murray was at his side as Team GB rolled to an historic victory in the Davis Cup in 2015.
'The Davis Cup is about the day,' he says. 'Yes, we talk about tactics but basically it's just about going out and doing everything to win, even if it takes five hours. It's a different mindset.'
The Davis Cup returns to Glasgow next week with Great Britain taking on Uzbekistan in a world group play-off.
It will bring memories of sensational matches under the roof of the Emirates Arena in the East End with his brother, who will not be at his side next week.
'When I finish my career, I believe the most important matches I will look back on will be in the Davis Cup,' says a player who has won 22 career titles and $4million in prize money.
'The greatest matches were in Glasgow.' He picks out the doubles win over Sam Groth and Lleyton Hewitt of Australia on the run to winning the Davis Cup.
The Scot has become a serial winner on the doubles circuit and believes he has matured
'The emotions we were able to stir up, the level of support, the passion, the noise...that's my best moment,' he says.
'We knew we had an amazing chance to win the Davis Cup because we were the best team left in it.
'We knew how important the doubles point was going to be. To get through, to do it with your brother in such dramatic circumstances...' Ah, the brother. Jamie and Andy are separated by 15 months but linked by a competitive nature that has brought them success and the odd spat.
'Playing with Andy, it's different,' says the elder brother. 'You are playing with someone who has achieved so much in the game. To step on to the court with someone of that level and stature is always going to be different.
'It's a lot easier, though, when it's your brother.' He chuckles at mentions of fallouts when they were striving youngsters.
'Yes, we are quieter now,' he says. 'We have grown up, matured and learned how to deal with things on the court. As teenagers and young adults, we were not quite at that level of calmness.'
'It is special to play with him. I know how much he wants to win. To have that level of desire and passion alongside you is a calming influence.'
The younger brother will not be in Glasgow next week. He will remain in the USA to continue his rehab from a hip operation.
'It may have been the last chance for us to play together in Glasgow,' concedes Jamie.
There is sadness that this might be the end of that particular chapter for the brothers but the Murray story is twice blessed. Two boys from a small town in Scotland rise to the very top of their respective disciplines in tennis. Does Murray ever reflect on the sheer strangeness of that?
'I suppose it is pretty remarkable,' he says. 'We were two kids growing up in a town of 7,000 people and in a country that has no history of tennis and it rains for nine months a year.
Jamie Murray and Andy have been outstanding for Great Britain in the Davis Cup
'The odds were against us but it shows to anyone that it can be done.' The Judy Murray Foundation has been formed to offer children in Scotland the chance to pick up a racket, not with the purpose of creating elite players but of offering opportunity to play sport.
Murray is, of course, a supporter of the charity.
He adds: 'I hope a kid in Scotland can look at us and say: "There are two boys from Dunblane who can achieve their dreams so what is stopping me?" That applies not just in tennis but in any walk of life. I know how hard my mum works at trying to give kids a chance. Good things will come out of this.'
Link articlehttps://hienalouca.com/2018/09/08/jamie-murray-gunning-for-sixth-grand-slam-doubles-title-at-us-open/
Main photo article The fate and fortune of Jamie Murray are made in fractions of a second. The energetic lunge at the net complemented by the deftest of volleys, the whiplash lefty serve with its kicking spin, the disguised lob over the forlorn opponent are all microseconds in the execution but years in the...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves Sport HienaLouca
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