McEnroe backs Murray

LONDON. — Tennis legend John McEnroe believes Andy Murray has the will and the talent to return to the top of men’s tennis following an injury hiatus.

The Scot missed three of the four grand slams in 2018 while trying to recover from hip surgery, dropping to outside the top 800 at one point.

This is a far cry from his purple patch of form in 2016, which would see him finish the year ranked number one, fresh off his third grand slam title at Wimbledon.

Now, Murray has gained entry in the upcoming Australian Open with a protected ranking of world No.2. At 31-yearsold, he is certainly not beyond his prime and McEnroe believes he can emulate the likes of Roger Federer and Nadal, who are still winning grand slams deep into their 30s.

“Look at what Federer did at 36, look at Nadal,” McEnroe told The Independent. “I’m sure he looks at those guys and thinks ‘I should be able to do something akin to that’.

“He was able to be one of the best players of the last ten years and winning majors by his athletic ability. If he is at 100 per cent or close to it, I would expect he would be in the top ten within six to nine months.

“He has to handle the pressure emotionally knowing there’s a full year ahead.”

The 107th Australian Open kicks off at Melbourne Park on January 14th, where Federer and Caroline Wozniacki are the defending singles champions. — AFP.