Many will point to Roger Federer’s rivalries with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal as the greatest feuds of all time, and rightly so.
But perhaps one of the more underappreciated matchups of tennis’ golden era was that of Federer and the fourth member of the ‘big four’: Andy Murray.
The two clashed 25 times on the ATP Tour, and although the Swiss ultimately came out on top in the head-to-head, Murray was in the lead for quite some time.
Would you consider Andy Murray a top 10 player of all time?
The Briton emerged victorious more often than not in the early stages of their rivalry, with a 6-2 record in their first eight bouts.
One of those six triumphs came at the Dubai Tennis Championships back in 2008, when Federer was left rather annoyed at Murray’s style of play.
Roger Federer’s comments about Andy Murray in 2008
Unseeded Murray played then-world number one Federer in the first round of the tournament, and came back from a set down to win 6-7, 6-3, 6-4.
Federer, who had won the Dubai crown in 2007, was seemingly agitated at Murray’s tactics after his title defence came to an abrupt end.
As per the Guardian, he said: “I don’t think he has changed his game a whole lot since the first time I played him and I really thought he would have done.
“He is going to have to grind it very hard in the next few years if he is going to play this way. He stands way behind the court.
Who is the most influential tennis player ever?
“You have to do a lot of running, and he tends to wait for the mistakes of his opponent.
“I gave him the mistakes, but overall, in a 15-year career, you want to look to win a point more often, rather than wait for the other guy to miss. Who knows, he might surprise us all.”
It would, of course, be silly to say Federer’s comments aged well, considering what Murray went on to achieve.
Three Grand Slam titles, two Olympic gold medals, and world number one status is a career most could only dream of.
But how much more could it have been were it not for the physically demanding style of play Murray adopted?
Federer’s observation may have come across as an assessment of a sore loser, but his overview of the Scot’s playstyle was fairly accurate.
Murray was not a ‘pusher’ by any stretch, but his success was built upon one of the best defensive games tennis has ever seen.
His grit and determination often led to extended rallies, which, while effective, is usually bad news for the body.
And it was bad news for Murray in 2017, when he suffered the hip injury that would ultimately mark a harsh end to his prime years, derailing his career.
Murray enjoyed his very best year the season prior, having claimed a second Wimbledon title, a maiden ATP Finals trophy, three Masters crowns, Olympic gold, and the position of world number one.
At the time, Murray genuinely looked like the best player in the world, with Djokovic, Nadal and Federer still active on the tour.
He was still only 29, and looked on track to win many more big titles, but after the hip operation, Murray never returned to the dizzy heights he reached in 2016.
Would Murray have been anywhere near as successful as he was had he deployed a different style of play? It’s hard to say.
But longevity-wise, it’s hard to argue that his game, albeit incredible, was a recipe for injuries.
Andy Murray’s response to Roger Federer
Murray had issued a response to Federer’s criticism of his game.
He said: “A lot of the times I’ve beaten him he has said negative things about my game so it doesn’t really bother me that much.
“Every time I’ve played against him I’ve felt like I’ve had good chances to win and I think my tactics against him have worked well in most of the matches that I’ve played.
“But it didn’t make me feel I needed to change my game in any way. Maybe he meant them.
“Some things you don’t mean [in those situations]. That happens sometimes, but it doesn’t bother me.”
The head-to-head between Federer and Murray finished 14-11 in favour of the 20-time Grand Slam champion.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
