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Make-or break for Murray in Miami

Andy Murray's defeat to Donald Young was his worst defeat in five years © PA Photos

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Once bitten, twice shy, or so the old adage goes. But Andy Murray's current form reeks of deja-vu as the world No. 5 is in danger of suffering another Melbourne hangover.

If the alarm bells started ringing in Rotterdam after his defeat to Marcos Baghdatis, then the temptation must have been to press the panic button in California after his premature exit at the hands of Donald Young.

Murray's spring malaise last year saw him lose matches to Janko Tipsarevic, Philipp Kohlschreiber, David Ferrer (twice) and a resurgent Mardy Fish (twice) - but, while they are not Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer, they are all solid players.

Young, by contrast, has never beaten a top-ten player and has not won back-to-back matches on the ATP Tour in three years. At world No. 143, it was Murray's worst defeat in five years.

You have to go back to back to 2006 when Murray lost to a player ranked outside the top 140 - he lost in Monte Carlo to the then world No. 154 Jean-Rene Lisnard, although he struggled with cramp and hobbled around the court for much of the match.

Murray has played just once since his Australian Open final defeat to Novak Djokovic, and it showed. He may not have the fastest serve or the fiercest forehand, but Murray prides himself on his defence - chipping away until his opponent makes a mistake.

Having shaken off a wrist niggle, Murray looked decidedly rusty, and was guilty of some uncharacteristic errors. All in all it was a poor display from the Scot, although nothing should be taken away from Young; it was undoubtedly the best result, and the best performance of his career.

For Murray, the next two weeks are critical. He is in severe danger of an unwelcome repeat of last year, that saw his Australian Open final defeat trigger a less-than-impressive spring, and he did not really get his season back on track until Wimbledon.

Murray is in danger of suffering another Melbourne hangover © Getty Images

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No matter how rusty Murray was feeling, as world No. 5 he should not be losing to a player like Young, no matter how talented the 21-year-old is. The mark of a real champion is the ability to grind out results against the lower-ranked players - as Federer and Nadal so often demonstrate.

Murray may not have needed to be at his best to beat Young, but he was nowhere close, and he admitted he was not fully focused on the task in hand.

But such a shock could be just the kick up the backside that Murray needs to jolt him out of his downward spiral.

"I've got to use this defeat as some motivation," Murray admitted after his match. "I don't really enjoy playing like that and I don't want to lose matches like that.

"It took me a long time after Australia [last year] to start finding that again. I don't want that to happen again so I need to find a way - not only with myself, but with the guys I work with - to get it back as soon as possible and hopefully I'll do that in Miami."

All eyes will be on Murray in Miami, where he should have a psychological edge - it is after all, where he calls home for much of the year. A winner at Key Biscayne in 2009, Murray will hope to evoke memories of his final victory over Djokovic two years ago, rather than his embarrassing defeat at the hands of Fish in the second round last year.

Finding his mojo in Miami is vital if Murray is able to get his season back on track - after the Masters in Miami, the tennis circus heads to Europe for the clay-court season, where even Murray will admit his chances of titles on his least-favoured surface are slim.

A win, or at least a semi-final run in Miami would give him a much-needed confidence boost, while defeat could see Murray caught in a vicious circle with no way out.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.