The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Murray calm for defence of crown
WIMBLEDON: Top seed shrugs off hip injury to focus on fresh bid for glory
Andy Murray is ready to battle the nerves before opening up play on Centre Court on day one of Wimbledon.
As defending men’s champion, he has that honour and will take on Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik at 1pm this afternoon.
Murray, like women’s No1 Johanna Konta, yesterday confirmed he was fit for the tests that lie ahead in the coming fortnight, after the hip injury problem that affected his preparation.
And his goal is to carry off the title for a third time, eyeing a strong start to his mission.
He said: “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.
“It maybe adds a little bit extra pressure. Maybe a few more nerves especially at this slam with the way the scheduling is, that you’re the first one out there on Centre Court.
“You feel like you’re opening up the tournament a little bit, and that adds a few more nerves.
“But I feel OK. I’ve felt fairly calm the last few days.”
Andy Murray is confident he will be fit to play seven matches as he chases another Wimbledon title.
There were doubts whether the world No 1 would even begin his campaign at the All England Club after he was unable to practise for two days because of a hip problem.
Murray returned to the court on Friday but looked far from fully fit and continued to hobble between points during practice sessions over the weekend.
However, the Scot gave a positive report on his condition at his pre-tournament press conference and does not expect that to change.
He said: “I’ll be fine to play the event and play seven matches. Things can happen, obviously, when you’re playing. But, if I feel like I am today, I’d be delighted and have no issues getting through.
“If necessary, I can take some anti-inflammatories if my hip flares up. Hopefully that’s not the case.”
Murray revealed he has suffered with hip problems since he was very young, saying: “It’s not something new to me. It’s just been very sore the last few weeks.
“It was giving me quite a lot of trouble moving to certain shots and getting into certain positions. So that was why I needed to take the break, to try and give it a chance to settle down. It’s felt much better the last few days.”
This is the latest concern in a difficult season for Murray, who has been unable to carry the momentum from his brilliant winning run at the end of 2016.
As well as the hip issue, he has been laid low by a bout of shingles, an elbow injury and two doses of flu.
But this is the first time something has badly affected him so close to a grand slam.
“I haven’t been in that sort of position too often, only a few days before a slam, and not felt good at all,” he said.
“Obviously this is an extremely important tournament, so you worry a little bit. It’s a little bit stressful if you can’t practice for a few days, you really want to be preparing, training as much as you can to get ready and make you feel better, especially when you hadn’t had any matches.
“But I just tried to think positively. I tried to make the best decisions along with my team to give myself the best chance to feel good on Monday. I feel like I’ve done that.”
Murray has been in noticeably good spirits despite his injury worries and it was revealed yesterday he has an extra reason to be happy with wife Kim expecting their second child.
Murray is defending a Wimbledon title for the second time and will have the traditional champion’s honour of playing the first match on Centre Court today.
His difficult season and health problems have dampened expectations but Murray will still feel the weight of pressure as the home favourite when he steps out on court.
The Scot only made it to the quarterfinals when he first defended the title in 2014, his worst performance since 2008.
He said: “Obviously I’ve got a little bit more experience, I’m a bit older now. Hopefully I’m able to deal with things better this time round.
“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.
“Maybe it adds a little bit of extra pressure, a few more nerves, especially at this slam with the way the scheduling is, that you’re the first one out there on Centre Court. You feel like you’re opening up the tournament a little bit.
“But I feel OK. I’ve felt fairly calm the last few days, considering how I’ve been feeling.”
On paper, Murray has a kind draw against lucky loser Alexander Bublik, a 20-year-old Russian-turned-Kazakh ranked 134 and renowned for his array of trick shots.
“I’ve heard a few things about him and he’s obviously a big personality. It will be interesting,” remarked Murray.
I just tried to think positively. I tried to make the best decisions along with my team to give myself the best chance to feel good on Monday. ANDY MURRAY