BIG 4 ARE A STEP AHEAD
Lendl says cream is rising to the top again as Murray faces bad boy of French tennis in last 16
IVAN LENDL believes the old guard are set to dominate Wimbledon again as Andy Murray prepares to face the enfant terrible of French tennis today.
While the women’s draw has been full of surprises, the Big Four on the men’s side remain on collision course for semi-final showdowns. Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Murray have won every Wimbledon singles title since 2002. And the Scot, who plays world No.46 Benoit Paire today, is only fourth favourite despite being top seed after struggling with form and fitness. But Lendl said: “Andy’s in the second week so he is in with a chance, same as 15 other guys. And by the end of Monday, if there is no bad weather there will be only seven and hopefully Andy. “Will the cream rise to the top? It usually does. The top guys are top guys because they do things a little bit better than the other guys.
“Can they be beaten? Of course, but in the end most of the time the top guys do win because they are a little better than the others.
“Whether it’s problem solving, whether it’s lack of matches for a while, dealing with distractions off the court – these guys are used to it. That’s part of the business.
“Yes, they can get upset or the others can upset them, but if they play 100 times they are going to win more than half and that’s because the package is more complete.”
Paire is more than capable of creating an upset all on his own. He is too unpredictable – even for the French. While Murray was retaining his Olympic title last summer, Paire was sent home from Rio and banned for six months by his country after staying at Copacabana Beach with his pop-star girlfriend Shy’m rather than the team village.
“The France team, it is not an open bar – there are rules to follow,” said national tennis boss Arnaud Di Pasquale.
And in the first round at Halle last month, Paire received a warning, a point penalty then a game penalty all within two minutes for his bonkers behaviour – in the second game of the match. Sounding like Eric Cantona, the France No.6 claimed: “I have this artistic side, but so perfectionist that you almost become mad and destructive.
“On court, I naturally hit shots that others would never even think about. And when I manage them successfully, I feel proud.”
The Frenchman smashed his rackets against the wall of Court 18 at Wimbledon in 2013 and the following year claimed: “Simply, I hate Wimbledon.”
But after reaching the fourth round for the first time, the 28-year-old said: “This year, I am happy to come because it is an honour to play here, a privilege to be on these courts. I have grown in maturity. Before I was a bit stupid in my way of approaching tennis.
“Now I am doing a great job – let’s hope it lasts. I know I no longer have 25 Wimbledons to go and I don’t want people to see me as the guy who only smashes rackets. I am no longer 20 years old.
“I hope that, in the end, people will remember the Benoit Paire who had moments of genius.”