I’ll start this thread off by wishing my boy Andy a very happy 26th birthday.
I may live to regret starting this thread but Tented asked me my thoughts on Andy and the clay. When discussing Andy’s disappointing results on clay people do tend to make a point of stating that he did train in Spain. Why isn't he better on the clay? I think it’s worth pointing out a few things.
A talk with Rafa played a part in Andy’s decision to train in Spain. I’m eternally thankful to Rafa for that advice. Andy was 15 at that point. Still very young but Andy had been playing tennis since the age of 3 – just not on a clay surface. It was an alien surface to him at 15 and I think it’s still a little alien to him now some 11 years later.
Despite the talk of Andy being somewhat of a ‘drama queen’ I don’t think anyone would argue with me when I say that Andy very, very rarely talks about his knee condition. A condition that was diagnosed when Andy was 16 and which forced him to rest completely for 6 months. A few years ago the BBC consulted a leading sports physician for an insight into Murray’s condition. I did post this article on tennis.com last year so some posters will have read it.
WHAT IS A BIPARTITE PATELLA?
In essence, it is a kneecap made up of two separate bones instead of one. During childhood, most kneecaps form as a single segment but occasionally - as seen with Murray - they form as two, fused together by fibrous tissue.
"A bipartite patella is very rare," said Dr Franklyn-Miller. "It occurs in about 1% of the population and often goes unnoticed because it is only when you exercise at the intensity of a top-level sportsman like Murray that you might see symptoms.
"It tends to be found incidentally - you would be X-raying for another reason, such as knee pain, and come across a bipartite patella - but the two bones have a very close join that normally settles down and doesn't cause any problems."
WHY, THEN, DOES MURRAY EXPERIENCE PAIN?
"It's very unusual that pain would stem from the actual join between the two pieces of bone. It's more about how the separation affects the patella tendon, which attaches the kneecap to the lower leg.
"As our thigh and lower leg bones grow in adolescence, they put enormous force on the patella tendon. If you're involved in high-level sport, these forces are even greater.
"When your thigh muscle contracts, a regular kneecap will pull the patella tendon in one direction but a bipartite patella will pull it in different directions. This abnormal loading irritates and inflames the tendon, resulting in pain."
"At a Grand Slam tournament, you could play as many as seven five-set matches with very little rest," added Dr Franklyn-Miller. "Tennis is all about explosive movements. The longer a match, the greater the load on your knees.
"The load through the tendon is at its greatest when you come to a sudden stop. In that sense, clay should be more forgiving than hard courts because the give in the surface acts as a shock absorber.
"But then again, clay plays slower than hard courts so there's a lot more scampering into the net, stopping sharply, bending down to retrieve low balls and twisting to get back in position."
IS MURRAY'S CONDITION DEGENERATIVE?
"The back of our kneecaps come into contact with the joint itself and it's possible that his bipartite patella could be roughening the cartilage, which can lead to osteoarthritis.
"But most elite athletes are susceptible to an element of osteoarthritis.
SO HIS CAREER IS NOT UNDER THREAT?
"It's certainly not career threatening," insisted Dr Franklyn-Miller. "The problem with modern-day tennis is that it's a year-round sport but Murray and his team will have a routine set out for dealing with the knee and it seems to have been pretty successful so far.
"Because a bipartite patella is formed at birth, there is no cure and there is no way of predicting exactly how the condition will develop in the future.
"But Murray will have the very latest biomechanical technology available to him. That will ensure he can monitor what's going on inside the knee and treat it accordingly."
HOW WILL MURRAY BE TREATING THE PROBLEM?
The tried and trusted Rice principle (rest, ice, compression, elevation) continues to prevail. Murray's methods include Bikram yoga, ice baths and physio, all of which keep his injury at bay.
"There are a variety of techniques designed to settle the pain - like rest and use of a leg brace. You can also go down the surgical route to alter the pull of the thigh muscles or remove the second segment of bone but these are completely inappropriate to a top athlete like Murray," concluded Dr Franklyn-Miller.
"So he will probably manage inflammation with lots of icing, leg-strengthening exercises, stretching and perhaps things like shock-wave lithotripsy and simple injections of water. He will carefully manage training but the critical focus should be on recovery after matches.
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As a Murray fan I’m the first to admit that I’m disappointed with Andy’s clay performances. However, I know that clay is the worst surface for his knee. The pain will always be particularly acute during the clay-court season. He will only ever play the 3 clay court masters events. You won’t see him at 250 clay events. On a rare occasion he may play Barcelona but that would be the only 500 event you will ever be likely to see him at.
I’ve seen Andy play great tennis on the clay – against both Rafa and Novak. He's capable of it. I know it's never going to be Andy’s best surface but I’m OK with that fact. I do wish though that people would remember that this is a surface that Andy will always struggle with because his knee condition does have an impact on how he performs on this surface.
Murray fans do still have expectations. Simply because Murray is one of the best players in the world. However, I should point out that some Andy fans can't wait for the clay season to be over.
I may live to regret starting this thread but Tented asked me my thoughts on Andy and the clay. When discussing Andy’s disappointing results on clay people do tend to make a point of stating that he did train in Spain. Why isn't he better on the clay? I think it’s worth pointing out a few things.
A talk with Rafa played a part in Andy’s decision to train in Spain. I’m eternally thankful to Rafa for that advice. Andy was 15 at that point. Still very young but Andy had been playing tennis since the age of 3 – just not on a clay surface. It was an alien surface to him at 15 and I think it’s still a little alien to him now some 11 years later.
Despite the talk of Andy being somewhat of a ‘drama queen’ I don’t think anyone would argue with me when I say that Andy very, very rarely talks about his knee condition. A condition that was diagnosed when Andy was 16 and which forced him to rest completely for 6 months. A few years ago the BBC consulted a leading sports physician for an insight into Murray’s condition. I did post this article on tennis.com last year so some posters will have read it.
WHAT IS A BIPARTITE PATELLA?
In essence, it is a kneecap made up of two separate bones instead of one. During childhood, most kneecaps form as a single segment but occasionally - as seen with Murray - they form as two, fused together by fibrous tissue.
"A bipartite patella is very rare," said Dr Franklyn-Miller. "It occurs in about 1% of the population and often goes unnoticed because it is only when you exercise at the intensity of a top-level sportsman like Murray that you might see symptoms.
"It tends to be found incidentally - you would be X-raying for another reason, such as knee pain, and come across a bipartite patella - but the two bones have a very close join that normally settles down and doesn't cause any problems."
WHY, THEN, DOES MURRAY EXPERIENCE PAIN?
"It's very unusual that pain would stem from the actual join between the two pieces of bone. It's more about how the separation affects the patella tendon, which attaches the kneecap to the lower leg.
"As our thigh and lower leg bones grow in adolescence, they put enormous force on the patella tendon. If you're involved in high-level sport, these forces are even greater.
"When your thigh muscle contracts, a regular kneecap will pull the patella tendon in one direction but a bipartite patella will pull it in different directions. This abnormal loading irritates and inflames the tendon, resulting in pain."
"At a Grand Slam tournament, you could play as many as seven five-set matches with very little rest," added Dr Franklyn-Miller. "Tennis is all about explosive movements. The longer a match, the greater the load on your knees.
"The load through the tendon is at its greatest when you come to a sudden stop. In that sense, clay should be more forgiving than hard courts because the give in the surface acts as a shock absorber.
"But then again, clay plays slower than hard courts so there's a lot more scampering into the net, stopping sharply, bending down to retrieve low balls and twisting to get back in position."
IS MURRAY'S CONDITION DEGENERATIVE?
"The back of our kneecaps come into contact with the joint itself and it's possible that his bipartite patella could be roughening the cartilage, which can lead to osteoarthritis.
"But most elite athletes are susceptible to an element of osteoarthritis.
SO HIS CAREER IS NOT UNDER THREAT?
"It's certainly not career threatening," insisted Dr Franklyn-Miller. "The problem with modern-day tennis is that it's a year-round sport but Murray and his team will have a routine set out for dealing with the knee and it seems to have been pretty successful so far.
"Because a bipartite patella is formed at birth, there is no cure and there is no way of predicting exactly how the condition will develop in the future.
"But Murray will have the very latest biomechanical technology available to him. That will ensure he can monitor what's going on inside the knee and treat it accordingly."
HOW WILL MURRAY BE TREATING THE PROBLEM?
The tried and trusted Rice principle (rest, ice, compression, elevation) continues to prevail. Murray's methods include Bikram yoga, ice baths and physio, all of which keep his injury at bay.
"There are a variety of techniques designed to settle the pain - like rest and use of a leg brace. You can also go down the surgical route to alter the pull of the thigh muscles or remove the second segment of bone but these are completely inappropriate to a top athlete like Murray," concluded Dr Franklyn-Miller.
"So he will probably manage inflammation with lots of icing, leg-strengthening exercises, stretching and perhaps things like shock-wave lithotripsy and simple injections of water. He will carefully manage training but the critical focus should be on recovery after matches.
-------
As a Murray fan I’m the first to admit that I’m disappointed with Andy’s clay performances. However, I know that clay is the worst surface for his knee. The pain will always be particularly acute during the clay-court season. He will only ever play the 3 clay court masters events. You won’t see him at 250 clay events. On a rare occasion he may play Barcelona but that would be the only 500 event you will ever be likely to see him at.
I’ve seen Andy play great tennis on the clay – against both Rafa and Novak. He's capable of it. I know it's never going to be Andy’s best surface but I’m OK with that fact. I do wish though that people would remember that this is a surface that Andy will always struggle with because his knee condition does have an impact on how he performs on this surface.
Murray fans do still have expectations. Simply because Murray is one of the best players in the world. However, I should point out that some Andy fans can't wait for the clay season to be over.
