andy murray

Andy Murray’s decision to part company with his trainer was vindicated following an impressive display in Toronto where he was able to see off all three of the players ranked players above him in the World standings, to retain the Rogers Cup.

Murray’s more aggressive approach to this tournament paid dividends for the Scot, taking the scalps of David Nalbandian and Rafael Nadal to set up the final against Roger Federer.

The final was delayed for fifteen minutes at the start due to heavy rain, which would continue through the match and disrupt the flow of the game on no less than five occasions.

But Murray was off to a flier once the game got underway, racing into a 3-0 lead in the first set with Federer dipping deep into his enormous reserves to offer some resistance.

While the rain breaks caused problems for both players, it was Murray who who appeared most focused throughout, regaining the Rogers Cup with an impressive two set victory over Federer, 7-5, 7-5.

After the win Murray said;

“It was good for me to win today, three good results in a row against Nalbandian, Rafa and Roger, so that will give me confidence for next week. It was difficult today, I was up a lot in the first set and probably should have won it a bit easier. I managed to stay tough mentally, which is always tough against Roger because he started to play some great tennis, but it’s a great way to finish the week – I played very well. I think the rain delays affected both of us. It is difficult. It broke our momentum. Roger was playing better at the end of the first set and when we came back out I broke him straight away. It affected both of us a little bit but I managed to stay strong in the end.”

Murray will take part in this week’s Cincinnati Masters hoping for another confidence boost ahead of the US Open and hopes of that elusive first Grand Slam title.

Quintessentially English, Wimbledon thrives on a rich history where style and good manners are paramount with both competitors and audience alike. As famous for its extravagantly priced strawberries and cream as it is for its tennis, Wimbledon is definitely a one off in the world of sport.

The one thing lacking is a British Mens singles winner, it is 74 years since that happened, could this be Andy Murray’s year….?

Andy Murray

Andy Murray settled the nerves with an impressive first round win at Wimbledon, beating the Czech Republic’s Jan Hajek 7-5,  6-1, 6-2.

The 23 year old Scot showed some encouraging signs on court one, given his recent lack of conviction on the court, hitting 17 aces and 56 winning shots in the sweltering conditions at Wimbledon.

Murray coped with the early onslaught from Hajek and from the eigth game there was only one likely outcome as the Brit upped his service game and sealed the match in just one hour and forty minutes.

Murray will now play either Jarkko Nieminen or Stefan Koubek in the second round but he will be pleased with his mission accomplished in today’s match.

It is now 74 years since Wimbledon had a British mens singles champion and Murray would love this title more than any other. Can he lift himself for long enough to stand a chance at this years tournament?

Murray goes into Wimbledon struggling to find consistency in his play and faces Hajek for the first time in the first round confrontation.

The 26 year old Czech Republic player is ranked 80th in the world rankings and won a Challenger event on clay in his home country last month.  His best results have come on the clay surface and Hajek has made just one appearance at Wimbledon, losing in the first round in 2007.

Murray has appeared a player without focus this season, having played possibly the best tennis of his career in the Australian Open in January where he lost in the final to Roger Federer, Murray has pretty much failed to impress since.

In fairness Murray is at his best on the grass and it would be an excellent achievement if he can repeat last years experience and reach the semi finals in South West London. A place in the final would surely be beyond his wildest dreams in his present state, but the Wimbledon crowd will lift him and then who knows.

The Wimbledon Championship gets underway on Monday June 21st.

Nadal back to his best

Rafael Nadal’s comeback from the tendinitis problem that forced him to withdraw from Wimbledon last year, now looks complete, the Spaniard showed exemplary form while disposing of Robin Soderling in the final of the French Open on Sunday.

Nadal brushed the Swede aside taking the match 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 to win his fifth title at Roland Garros, and the Spaniard looked to be back to his exceptional best.

While Nadal does not consider himself to be the best clay court player of all time, but he has now one all of his 22 matches on that surface this season, dropping a meagre two sets on the way and taking his own win tally on clay to 203.

Nadal is now back at number one in the world  and on this form looks unbeatable and with the grass courts of Wimbledon looming we should be seeing the Spanish player at the peak of his game.

Sadly the same cannot be said of Andy Murray who is all over the place with his game. Appearing at times to lack the focus he showed last season, Murray has been unconvincing too many times this year and will have to pull out something spectacular at Queens, where he defends his title this week, to be considered a serious contender for Wimbledon.

The same could be said of Roger Federer of course, he too has not shown the consistency that took him to the top of world tennis, but then again we all know better than to write off a player who has won more Grand Slams than any other player in the game.