(Adds fresh comment from clinical psychologist)
By Kate Kelland
LONDON Aug 5 (Reuters) - The tale of British tennis player
Andy Murray's Wimbledon despair turning to Olympic joy shows the
sheer power of the psychological advantage that a supportive
home crowd and a gold medal-winning streak by your national team
can give.
Exactly four weeks after Switzerland's Roger Federer beat
him and reduced him to tears on the same Wimbledon centre court,
Murray hit back during the London 2012 Olympics on Sunday with a
thrashing 6-2 6-1 6-4 win over the world number one.
There is little doubt the roar of a partisan crowd and
spirit of success brought on by Britain's Olympic gold-medal
winning streak played their part in the 25-year-old Scot's
victory.
"The crowd really willed him on. They pumped him up," U.S.
tennis champion and commentator John McEnroe said.
Murray said he was inspired by the success of fellow British
athletes Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford who all won
gold medals at the London Olympic athletics stadium on Saturday
on one of the most successful nights in British athletic
history.
"I watched the athletics last night," Murray said. "The
momentum the team's had over the last week has been so good."
FROM FEAR OF SUCCESS TO SPIRIT OF SUCCESS
Andrew Lane, a professor of sports psychology at
Wolverhampton University, pointed to Britain's new found Olympic
"spirit of success" as crucial.
"The landslide of medals keeps coming, and Andy Murray has
seen the success of rowers, the cyclists and the athletics
champions," he said. "At the moment, at a time when it really
matters, British athletes are performing beyond expectations -
and he wanted to repeat that."
Apart from a slight wobble in the first game of the match
Murray played with great confidence, producing a display of
power, precision and touch that not even Federer could match.
From the moment he moved 4-2 ahead in the first set, Murray
barely let Federer back in, rattling off nine games in a row to
seize complete control of the final.
"He thrashed him, and looked like he was enjoying it. He was
perfectly in control," Lane said of Murray.
Nick Maguire, a senior lecturer in clinical psychology at
Britain's University of Southampton, said two possible
mechanisms could account for Murray's winning boost.
"The first is physiological. The noise generated by a large
crowd in your support may promote excitement and adrenaline
production," Maguire explained.
"The second is more cognitive. When we feel excited,
successful images and verbal narratives are much more salient
and easily retrieved. So knowing that the noise is for you, and
that other athletes are being successful may promote images and
thoughts of your own success," he added.
And importantly, despite facing an opponent few thought he
would beat, Murray didn't panic when victory was in sight.
"Fear of success can be quite daunting," said Lane. "When
you're up against those top players, it can be very difficult
when you get close to the finishing line to actually convert it
into a win."
Antoinette Minniti, a lecturer in sport and exercise
psychology at Nottingham Trent University, says the roar of the
crowd can be a big boost, but only for athletes who perceive it
as positive.
Murray could well have interpreted the screams of "Andy,
Andy, Andy" as enormous and potentially debilitating pressure,
but instead he used them to sweep him to victory.
Lane said the Olympic gold rush was already developing into
a nationwide mental shift.
"We've got into a collective mindset where it's okay to
win," he said. "And that's certainly not always the case with
the British."
(Editing by Peter Millership and Ed Osmond)
Open all references in tabs: [1 - 3]