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Murray hopes he can beat Nadal to Wimbledon final
The Scotsman has suddenly found his form at Wimbledon after an indifferent few months
Disappointment or triumph awaits Andy Murray this afternoon when he makes his way to Centre Court to face Rafael Nadal for a place in the Wimbledon final and a chance to improve what has been a mediocre year for him.
Since he lost to Roger Federer in the final of the Australian Open, Murray has suffered terrible run of form. He began the clay court season with a horror show in Monte Carlo where his performance was so bad he was jeered by the crowd.
Things did not improve massively at the French Open where he went out in the fourth round, and his game still looked fragile.
Back on grass, a surface he enjoys, Murray was still failing to fire and went out at Queen's in the third round.
But since he arrived at Wimbledon there has been a sudden and dramatic turnaround in his form and he has been the most impressive player in the men's competition. Up until his still-convincing four-set quarter-final win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Murray had not even dropped a set.
However facing Rafa Nadal is an entirely different proposition. The current world No.1 is undefeated in 12 matches at Wimbledon and has beaten Murray seven times out of the 10 occasions they have faced each other.
"I think he would definitely be the favourite," said Murray yesterday. "It will be incredibly difficult, but I believe I can win if I play well."
At least the man who beat him in the final of the Australian Open, Roger Federer is no longer in the running. When Murray was asked whether that made him more hopeful about winning Wimbledon this year he refused to count his chickens before they had hatched.
"I don't care whether he's in or out of the tournament," said Murray. "It doesn't affect me unless I win the next round. I'm playing the number one player in the world in the next round, so it would be a bit silly for me to look past him in any way."
That won't stop the public from doing so. With England out of the World Cup the nation's sporting hopes lie squarely on the Scotsman's shoulders and they are yearning to see a domestic player finally make it into the Wimbledon final. ·
