Nigel Graber checks out the runners and riders for this year’s Wimbledon Championships, including our own boy wonder, Andy Murray
An impressive touch. A natural feel for the game. A surly attitude on court. Little respect for officialdom. A reddish tinge to the hair. Sound like any tennis players you might have heard of? Well, yes. A certain John McEnroe. But the description could apply equally to Scotland’s Andy Murray, of whom the New Yorker has declared himself a huge fan.
McEnroe won a trilogy of Wimbledon men’s singles titles. But, even a sole win from our Andy would be the stuff of dreams. Britain hasn’t produced a men’s champion since Fred Perry in 1936. Unlikely? Well, maybe not. At the time of writing, Murray, who’ll have just turned 20 when the All-England Championships begin in late June, is knocking on the door of the world’s top ten.
If he can increase his ranking (and seeding) to eight, that will mean not having to face The Mighty Roger Federer until at least the quarter-finals, which should help. In any case, the boy from Dunblane boasts a fine career win against the Swiss Meister, in Cincinnati last August.
Of the other recognised grass-court experts, perhaps only Andy Roddick can claim to have genuine title aspirations. This won’t deter Murray, though, who’s flattened the American three times, including a memorable straight-sets dismantling on Centre Court last summer.
Murray’s one of a clutch of young guns, all aged around 20 and all looking to close the ground on Federer, widely seen as the best player ever to grace a court. This posse includes Andy’s good friend, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, the stylish Frenchman Richard Gasquet, Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, and Rafael Nadal, world number 2 and already winner of two French Opens.
McEnroe has his eye on this group: “There’s no question that he’s among a group of young guys on the way up and one of them is going to make the next step this year. I’m not sure which one it will be yet, but it looks as though Murray is the slight favourite. I would definitely put him as the likeliest guy to step up.”
Watch out for Andy playing down his chances. He’ll tell us how awesome Federer is, that he himself is still maturing, and that he’s better on hard courts (as played at the US Open, where he was 2004 junior champion). He’s clearly a canny Scot who knows how to relieve the intense pressure of the home expectation that Tim Henman had to cope with.
So, perhaps we’d better leave the last word to Johnny Mac: “Only certain players have a natural feel for the game - that's what people said about me, and Murray’s got the same ability to come up with the shots. It’s like his mind is a computer, and he can work certain things out and he can do any number of things which seem real easy, but which are actually a lot more difficult than they seem.
“There aren’t as many people who can play well on grass. I always thought Federer was better on hard courts than he was on grass, but where did he win his first grand slam? At Wimbledon. You could make that same argument for Murray, that it's more likely to happen at Wimbledon.”
Beyond Andy, though, don’t expect too much joy for the British men. The Championships will no doubt throw up the traditional ‘plucky Brit’ who struggles gamely into the third round, while Henman will drag his ageing and increasingly unreliable body onto court, possibly for one last hurrah. His cause won’t be helped, though, by his probable lack of a seeding, leaving him prone to an early exit at the hands of a Federer, Roddick or Nadal.
Expect Federer to claim his fifth consecutive title, but if Murray’s in the other half of the draw, we could yet be cheering a British finalist. And that’s as rare as rocking-horse droppings. Keep an eye out, too, for Jamie, Andy’s big brother - a shooting star in the doubles game.
So, what of the ladies? Well, again, don’t hold your breath for too much home success. Our top player, Anne Keothavong, ranks around the world 160 mark, one of only three Brits in the top 200.
Much better to turn to Russia, a country that’s produced a conveyor belt of quality players in recent years, including 2004 champion Maria Sharapova. Also in the top ten and in with a shout are former US Open champ Svetlana Kuznetsova, the exciting Nadia Petrova and the charming Elena Dementieva, who would surely be the greatest player of all if she could improve on her club-level service delivery.
Nicole Vaidisova from the Czech Republic, Anna Chekvetadze, Dinara Safina and pin-up Ana Ivanovic are all good outside bets. You can also expect last year’s finalist, Belgium’s Justine Henin to put up a good show, provided she’s over her recent marriage break-up. And, of course, Amelie Mauresmo will have little to lose, having beaten her personal demons and won the event last year.
But, as for a champion, we’re looking no further than Serena Williams. The 2002 and 2003 winner has a revitalised game, following her unlikely triumph in the year’s first grand-slam tournament, the Australian Open. The win followed a couple of distracted years chasing success in fashion and films and could well have focused her mind on her one true talent - hitting a tennis ball rather hard and well.
In Melbourne, the younger of the Williams sisters began the tournament looking about as athletic as Jocky Wilson, but played herself into fitness and simply blasted Maria Sharapova off court in the final. Now back inside the world’s top twenty, Williams will be seeded and no one will relish seeing her in her side of the draw.
Roger Federer (Switzerland). Peerless on grass. Expect him to win the event without losing a set, as he did at the Australian Open. Prediction: champion.
Andy Roddick (USA). Twice a finalist, but 13 times a loser to Federer and a one-dimensional game, when a Plan B is usually required. Prediction: semis or finalist.
Rafael Nadal (Spain). The king of clay and showing signs of burnout from having developed physically while too young. An unlikely finalist last year. Prediction: 4th round.
Andy Murray (Great Britain). Has a real chance if he can avoid long five-setters. World’s best coach, Brad Gilbert, and mesmeric shot-making in his favour. Prediction: semis or finalist.
Serena Williams (USA). Can go all the way if her appetite is truly back. No one better on grass when she’s fully focused. Prediction: champion.
Amelie Mauresmo (France). Twice dealt her demons a fatal blow last year, with two grand slams. Not the type to want to do it again. Prediction: 3rd round.
Maria Sharapova (Russia). A slightly robotic game that doesn’t always lend itself to the vagaries of grass. Nevertheless, a contender. Prediction: semis or finalist.
Justine Henin (Belgium). A game for the purists and a lovely backhand. Will go deep into second week if she can beat her nerves. Prediction: semis or finalist.
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