Variety is Andy Murray's Great Strength

Andy Murray advanced to his first major semifinal today by defeating Juan Martín del Potro, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (1), 4-6, 7-5. Murray stands out in the men's game as a player whose greatest strength is variety. Generally, players who rely on variety have to be quite clever and highly observant of their opponents, as Martina Hingis so famously was. A variety player has to figure out which shots will work best against each opponent at each stage of a match in the conditions that exist on each match day. A player like Andy has to know every tactic used to attack a one-handed backhand or make a two-hander wish he used just one. He has to understand how to pick on shorter players or make taller ones get in their own way. Whereas a player who just blasts every shot might struggle with something like a Wind Tactics Quiz, to a variety player, a windy day is just a chance to be more creative. Most of all, of course, a variety player needs to have every shot, especially the shots, like a backhand slice, that are used more often to set up the next shot than to win a point outright.