Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
I DON’T FEAR YOU, MURRAY
Edmund hands a warning to his Brit rival and says he wants to be the world No.1
KYLE EDMUND has warned Andy Murray he fears no one – and his target is to be the world No.1 with “the best forehand” in the game.
Yorkshireman takes on Scot in a Battle of Britain at the Nature Valley International in Eastbourne today.
The double Olympic champion won the two previous matches against his protege in 2016 (right).
But Edmund overtook Murray as British No.1 in March and the world No.18 is now ranked 138 places above the former world No.1.
Now he wants to go even higher. “There are so many things to accomplish, there’s always the determination to achieve more and, of course, eventually becoming No.1 in the world is one of those,” he said.
“I have developed a belief there is no one I can’t beat and I’m at a stage now where I do not fear anyone.
“These are the best players in the world. My game is right there with them. It is better than theirs. If you want to be the best, you have to be obsessed and do it your way.
“It is like a quiet confidence. You definitely need to feel pain – it’s hard, it’s tiring, but I enjoy what I get from it.
“In my opinion I have the best forehand in the world. My ball striking is the best it has ever been, I have all the tools and that gives me great confidence going into Wimbledon.” Murray will face Edmund for the third time in the third match of his comeback, but in the unusual position of being an underdog against another Brit.
He has not lost to another home player since going down to
Tim Henman in 2006.
“I don’t care much about those tags, like who the favourite is going into the match or not,” claimed the Scot.
“But a lot has changed since the last time we played in terms of the experience he has and the results he’s had and how well he’s been playing. I’m sure he’ll feel very confident. It’s a really good test for me. It will be tricky.”
Full of praise for his opponent, Murray added: “He’s a brilliant player – that’s the challenge, not because he’s a Brit. For me, the British No.1 tag was never of any importance. I wanted to be the best in the world.” A second all-british clash today will see Cameron Norrie face Jay Clarke after the British No.2 beat German Daniel Brands 7-5 6-7 6-2. Dan Evans’ Wimbledon dream ended in the second qualifying round when he lost 6-0 6-3 to Matthias Bachinger.