Although you might not know it Wimbledon is only a week away. The fact that there is a small tournament called the World Cup taking place at the moment has somewhat deflected the build up away from what is normally the highlight of the tennis calendar. This could be a blessing in disguise for British hopeful Andy Murray. Here at Sport.co.uk we assess the fiery Scot’s chances of landing his first grand slam this summer.
Lack of form
After reaching the semi finals last year Murray will be hoping to go one better and at least reach the final, a feat which he has achieved at both the US and Australian open. However, the Scot has not had ideal preparation for the tournament. After a disappointing run at the French Open where he only managed to reach the fourth round, Murray would have been hoping for a good run at the AEGON Championships. This did not happen as he was beaten by experienced American Mardy Fish in just the third round. Hardly ideal preparation for what will ultimately be a difficult Wimbledon fortnight. With that said Murray will still be a feared man at Wimbledon who is more than capable of going all the way if he gets a bit of luck along the way. That sounds like something we have said before for our sporting hopes doesn’t it?
The World Cup effect
Joking aside, the World Cup could actually work in Murray’s favour. Having another big sporting event running alongside Wimbledon will deflect some attention off him especially if England progress to the latter stages of the tournament. Wimbledon is usually the focal point of our sporting summer and Murray has the weight of a nation on his shoulders. While everyone will still be hoping he does well, the World Cup is certainly top of most people’s agenda. This will hopefully allow Murray to relax and enjoy his tennis, something which he does not look like he has been doing in recent months.
Despite being ranked number 4 in the world, Murray still has doubters and they will unfortunately remain until he lands a grand slam. While this is somewhat unfair I can understand the criticism and believe that the tennis pundits on TV don’t do him any real favours. Everytime they speak about Murray they tell us to remember that he is only young and needs to get physically stronger and fitter. This frustrates me. Players like Nadal and Djokovic are around the same age as Murray and they have gone on to win on the biggest stage yet Murray hasn’t. Murray’s age is only a bonus because he is so young and if he stays injury free he will have many more opportunities to prove his doubters wrong which I believe he will do.
The competition
While he has a chance to do it this year and the majority of players would prefer to be in the opposite side of the draw to him there is no doubt that the competition is tough. There is the small problem of a man called Roger Federer who is almost untouchable at SW 19. After winning the French Open, Rafa Nadal will also be in confident mood in his bid to claim back a title that he never actually lost. The Spaniard is capable of winning on all surfaces and will fancy his chances to upset the odds once again.
Big serving American Andy Roddick was extremely unlucky to miss out on victory last year and if the truth be told he should have probably beaten Federer in what was a great sporting spectacle. He will back hoping to erase that heartbreak and should not be underestimated on grass. These are the sort of players Murray will have to overcome if he wants to claim the title.
Will he win?
So the big question is can he do it? I believe he can. One thing that he needs to do is try and get through the first couple of rounds without spending too much time on court, unlike the French open where he was involved in an epic 5 set battle in the first round. If he can do this he has as good a chance as all of those mentioned above. On his day he is capable of beating anyone in the world as he has shown in the past, he just needs to be able to put seven performances back to back when it really matters.
When all the other top players speak about Murray they all state openly that he will win a grand slam and this tells you that they know how much quality he has. Murray has an array of shots in his locker and with less expectancy and pressure this year he could just do it. I will certainly be hoping that Murray is in the final come Sunday 4th July. It would be very nice if England are still in the World Cup at this point too! Do you think Murray can go all the way? Let us know below.