THERE IS a perceptible degree of hesitation on the part of the British fans to buy into Andy Murray’s potential to win Wimbledon this year. Ask any local if the third seed can survive the two weeks and, bitten by past Wimbledon championships, they’ll gravely shake their head.
The Scot took part in a high-profile launch of his Fred Perry line of clothing last week, deliberately playing on the fact that Perry was the last British male to win the event 73 years ago. The 22-year-old says he feels no pressure to perform even when his reference to history is so pointed and further draws him towards the role of the white knight of British tennis.
But there is an ironic twist to the public’s hesitation in making a serious emotional investment in him after 10 years of Tim Henman bleeding them dry with his dramatic and occasionally poignant Wimbledon failures.
The eminently more capable Murray has a physique, mentality and a big all-round game that is already eons ahead of what Henman’s was at his peak.
In the past 12 months since he came back from two sets down at the 2008 championships to Richard Gasquet, Murray has reached a first Grand Slam final, the US Open, won three Masters Series titles in Cincinnati, Madrid and Miami as well as tournaments in St Petersburg, Doha, Rotterdam and Queens club. He is ranked third in the world; Rafa Nadal, the best ranked player is out of the competition and Federer is on a different flight path to the final. There has never been a better time than this year for Murray to finally close the book on Perry’s legacy.
Against 29-year-old American, Robert Kendrick, Murray had that constant companion, history, with him for the last match up on Centre Court yesterday. The first time the two met on grass at Newport three years ago Murray clocked up a double bagel (6-0, 6-0) and in their two subsequent encounters won five of the six sets they played. Hardly the scenario for a pyrotechnic show from Kendrick, Murray broke his serve in the first game and that was the platform for stealing the set as it unfolded with serve.
But Murray allowed Kendrick to dictate the second set and as it headed inexorably towards a tiebreak, experience said that the Scot would prevail. But the Californian swung the racquet freely at everything and disarmed Murray by hitting big in the tie-break for 1-1. Quits, it had been reduced to a three set match.
However the British hope remained composed and stepped up to win the third 6-3 before racing over the finish line 6-4 in the fourth set for a satisfactory outcome but not one that was always firmly within his control. Not many will have been converted.
“It was a tough match. I expected it to be difficult,” Murray said afterwards.
“He served great and played very aggressive and served a very high per cent of first serves. I didn’t return as well as I would have liked. There were a lot of big points and it was good to have them early in the tournament.
“It is tough against him. He doesn’t give you a whole lot of rhythm. But the longer the match went on the better I felt. Right at the end there some really good points from both of us. It’s good to finish a match that way because it gives confidence now going into the next round.”
Prior to Murray entertaining the evening gathering, Andy Roddick made a successful 2009 debut against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy. The American shot out of the blocks and raced to five love in 12 minutes. In that time he lost only three points. But Chardy plays an uncomfortable game for opponents and fires in big second serves. He fell 7-6 in the second for 2-0 but claimed the third set 4-6 before Roddick closed it out.
Seeded six, the American has come in under the radar this year, while things are expected of the fifth seed Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro. Tall and rangy, Del Potro put away Arnaud Clement with dismissive ease. He’d beaten him twice before but the 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 score line suggests this big server may be coming good for a serious tilt at glory.
