Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
FIGHTING FIT
Andy shrugs off Federer threat & injury concerns
ANDY MURRAY claimed Roger Federer’s status as the red-hot Wimbledon favourite means nothing as he declared himself fit to retain his title. The defending champion, nursing a troublesome hip, has drifted to fourth favourite in his home Grand Slam. But the world No.1 yesterday insisted he was ready to equal Fred Perry’s haul of three titles at the All England Club. Federer is 2-1 with the bookies to claim his eighth Wimbledon crown at the age of 35. “Whether someone’s
IT has become a staple of the British sporting summer, Andy Murray putting the nation through the wringer of emotions.
This time around, he even had a pre-tournament stab at it, grappling with an injury before calming Wimbledon worries by declaring himself fit and able to defend his title. Murray and drama are joined at the hip. Yet there will be a different feel to Murray’s 12th Wimbledon. He is not exactly in the final stretch of his wonderful career, but there are more Championships in his past than there are in his future. A Knight of the Realm, the world No.1, a father-to-be for a second time, Murray is in his golden age. He would love to stretch out his playing excellence over another half a decade or so, into Roger Federer territory, but does not sound overly convinced. “Just because of what Federer’s doing now, which is incredibly rare, a lot of people think everyone is going to start doing that now. I’m not sure that’s going to be the case,” he said. “I hope I’m still playing here for five, six, seven more years if possible, but I don’t know what’s going to happen.” The hip problem that threatened his participation this year turns out to be a longstanding complaint, hardly surprising when the physical demands he imposes on himself are taken into consideration. Right now, his ability to remain at the very top of his sport remains beyond question but, having turned 30 earlier this year, Murray knows he has to savour his remaining time on the grand stage. “You want to make the most of every tournament you play – you realise that a little bit more as you start to get older,” he added. “I want to make sure I make the most of all these chances I have left.” It might not always radiate from his demeanour, but it is clear Wimbledon still gives him that extra thrill, that extra surge of adrenaline. “I want to be nervous, I want to feel the pressure,” he declared. “If I wasn’t, then I’d be very worried by that. I’m not sure I’d be wanting to keep playing if that was the case.” This is the second time Murray will start proceedings as the champion. In 2014, his defence crumbled in a straight-sets quarterfinal defeat to Grigor Dimitrov. “Hopefully, I’m able to deal with things better this time round. I’ve obviously got a little bit more experience and am a bit older now,” he said. “But really, once you get out there, I don’t feel like I’m coming in trying to defend something. I’m going out there trying to win Wimbledon again. I want to try to win the competition.” Those nerves he enjoys, though, will be tingling with a little more intensity when he walks out to face Alexander Bublik, a flamboyant 20-year-old Russian-born player ranked 134th in the world. “There will maybe be a few more nerves with the way the scheduling is, that you’re the first one out there on Centre Court,” he admitted. “You know, you feel like you’re opening up the tournament a little bit and that adds a few more nerves.” The nerves in the Murray camp are more likely to revolve around their man’s fitness. He was adamant he is in good shape, saying a seven-match schedule, if he went all the way again, would not be a problem, but he gave a broad hint he is still relying on improvement DURING the tournament. The Scot explained: “It’s been slightly stopstart preparations, but each day I’ve felt better. At the French Open, where maybe I didn’t come in as well-prepared, I still found a way with each match to feel a bit better and built confidence each day. So I’m hoping that’s the case here.” Part of the preparation during his practice at Wimbledon yesterday was to field congratulations and questions on the news that wife Kim was pregnant. He was not particularly keen to engage on the subject and dismissive of the idea it could prove a distraction. He said: “I’ve had family the whole time I’ve been playing tennis, so yeah, I’ll be fine dealing with that. It’s certainly not a distraction in the slightest.” Of course it won’t be. And his wife, friends and family will, once again, be familiar figures in the Centre Court stands. Not as familiar as the champion who will, dodgy hip or not, have the country on his side today. Not as familiar as this staple of the British sporting summer. It should remain familiar for a good few summers to come, but it is still worth savouring while you can.