Tim Henman says Andy Murray, right, needs to be more aggressive, as he was against Rafael Nadal at the O2. Photograph: Henry Browne/Action Images Tim Henman says Andy Murray's best chance of winning a grand slam tournament is to make attacking tennis "second nature" rather than fall back on his defensive game.
The former British No1, who was one of the best players in the world for several years but could not break the drought stretching back to the rule of Fred Perry in the 1930s, was speaking before his Champions Tour debut at the Aegon Masters at the Royal Albert Hall tonight.
Henman, 36, today plays Goran Ivanisevic for the first time since their memorable Wimbledon semi-final in 2001, when the Croat won over three rain-interrupted days.
"He's got all the shots," Henman said, commenting on Murray's remarkable match against Rafael Nadal on Saturday, a three-set defeat in the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour Finals.
"You look at the tournaments he has won this year in Shanghai and in Toronto and his performances to get to the final in Australia; he was proactive and he made things happen.
"He's not being reckless and making a lot of unforced errors; he's looking to make his opponent do the running and sometimes when it gets tight he gets a little bit reactive. He stands a little bit further behind the baseline and he gives his opponents more opportunity to play.
"But he knows when he plays Nadal he has to be aggressive because he knows Nadal is going to be hitting him off the court – so he plays aggressively and has some great matches.
"I'd like to see him do that against the lesser players because, if he does, it's going to become second nature when he has to step up against [Roger] Federer, Nadal or [Novak] Djokovic.
"But I think he appreciates that. He's certainly improving as a player – so fingers crossed he takes that in to 2011."
Ivanisevic agreed that Murray is good enough to win a major. "He's beaten all the top guys before, so he's proven himself there," the Croat said. "He played one unbelievable match in the US Open semis against Nadal [in 2008] and then he didn't play a great match in the final against Federer.
"So, if I were his coach I'd want him to be a little bit more aggressive. First of all, his second serve is not that good; it's a little bit short. And in my opinion he should come a little bit more to the net to finish the points.
"He is ready to win a grand slam [title]. I know here is huge pressure from [the media] on him to win but I think he can do it. He has the shots, he is a great tennis player and he has been twice in finals and then both times he didn't play well.
"You're not going to get 55 chances. He just has to go for it. He is ready and he has that in him – just a little bit more aggression is what he needs."
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