TENNIS AUSTRALIAN OPEN NOW OR NEVER
ELEMENTARY, WATSON FISHING
GREG RUSEDSKI has told Andy Murray it is now or never if he wants to win another Grand Slam title.
The British No.1 has not reached a Major final since his historic Wimbledon triumph in 2013.
Last year the Scot struggled with his recovery from back surgery and changes in his coaching team as he slipped outside the top 10.
And Rusedki warned the 27-year-old that time is running out to add to his two Grand Slam victories.
“This year will be the defining year for Andy – I think 2015 will tell us if he will ever win a Major again,” said the Eurosport pundit.
“If he’s going to come out and win this tournament, he needs to be aggressive on the second serve, take on the forehand when it’s there to be hit, and use the backhand up the line. If he does those things he has a real shot.”
Brutal
Murray takes on Indian qualifier and the 2009 junior Australian Open champion Yuki Bhambri in the first round tomorrow. But the Scot later faces a nightmare scenario of beating Grigor Dimitrov, Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic to win the title.
“He looks in good form, he looks in good shape but he will have to beat two of the top players back-to-back to win the tournament and to do that he has to be physically and mentally at his very best,”
Rusedski added. “He has a chance of winning the tournament but he has to do it the hard way - it’s a brutal draw.”
Murray himself admitted: “It is obviously a very tough draw. But often in these events, there are upsets.
“You just have to wait and see who you’re playing in each round because it doesn’t always work out as simply as that.”
KYLE EDMUND broke through to qualify for his first Grand Slam after watching episodes of Breaking Bad. The Yorkshireman beat Aussie Dane Propoggia 6-7 6-4 9-7 and will now face American Steve Johnson in the first round of the Australian Open on Tuesday. Edmund, who turned 20 last week, said: “This is a great present along with the £50 iTunes voucher I got from my mum! I bought Breaking Bad. I am watching that now.” The world No.192, who was previously coached by Greg Rusedski, spent a week training with Andy Murray in Miami last month to prepare for the new
season. HEATHER WATSON said she now felt she “belonged” as a winner after becoming the first British woman in 30 years to lift a second WTA title.
The Guernsey star beat American Madison Brengle 6-3 6-4 to win the Hobart International without dropping a set, climbing to a career-high ranking of world No.38. “I was just overwhelmed when I won my first title but this one felt more like I belonged here, this was where I should be,” she said. “I really believed and backed myself to win it.”
Watson plays Bulgarian world No.67 Tsvetana Pironkova in the Australian Open first round.
BRADLEY BIG fish ace Tony King has been targeting the East Sussex marshes as part of his winter predator campaign.
Using float-fished joey mackerel on 30lb braid, he’s had a 20lb 12oz pike on the bank, plus two 16lb and two 15lb catches so far. Tony, from Eastbourne, is now retired and was telling me how nice it is to fish when he wants to and not when he has to.
And he wins a People/Davies angling goody bag for the terrific pike that started his great run – a clonking 24lb 12oz beast.