Murray talks up Wimbledon chances

Andy Murray has talked up his chances of winning Wimbledon and becoming the first British man to life the trophy there for 73 years after his triumph at Queen's Club at the weekend.

"A lot of people use  the pressure of expectation of the British public as an excuse as to why someone British has not won Wimbledon for so long," the young Scot said yesterday as he awaits the seeding and the draw of next week's tournament to see if he will avoid Roger Federer until the final.

"I personally don't think it makes any difference once the tournament starts. The build-up beforehand is a little bit more stressful than other tournaments, but once it starts, it's like all the other slams and you get great support in every one of your matches."

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
Jeremy Bates, former British No 1, the Guardian: "Andy can win Wimbledon. I think reaching the final of the US Open will help and he's probably in the best placed in terms of preparation, which cannot be said of Rafael Nadal. Federer will be all-guns-blazing because he wants to break Sampras's record but there is no question that Andy can beat him, as he has done the last four times they've met. Andy has the mentality to win and from what I can see, he does not get fazed by pressure. I think he's got all the tools and he's got the mentality to do it. You can see all the things are in the right place."

Neil Harman, the Times: "When was there last a fresher British contender for the Championships? If he did seem a trifle self-conscious walking on to a stage in an unremarkable building called the Tramshed in Shoreditch, East London, in exceedingly short shorts, there is no sense that Murray will march into the bright lights of the All England Club next week with any mentality other than one full of positivity. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who is nursing a knee problem, will be just as fearful of meeting him in the later stages as he will be of facing them, should the rankings be fulfilled."

Mark Hodgkinson, Daily Telegraph: "The attention to detail at yesterday's launch of his Wimbledon whites even extended to Murray doing up the top button of his polo shirt, which, like his other clothes, references the classic Fred Perry kit of yesteryear. Murray, a 21st-century tennis player, will appear as if he has just stepped out of a sepia newsreel. The clothes are going to be yet another reminder that Murray will be attempting to become the first British man to win Wimbledon in a very long time, since Perry in 1936." ·