| Tweet |
|
Andy Murray |
|
No, it is something harder to grasp that has changed with Murray this year as he goes in search of quenching his and the British Isles’ thirst for a major winner. The Scot has added a layer of steel this year to what has generally been perceived as a soft interior.
There has been something pleasurable about watching him in front of a partisan crowd this year, whereas in previous years there was a sort of hide-behind-your-hands because the explosion is coming sensation. It is almost tempting to use the word serene when discussing his progress to date; if only there was anything about Murray’s persona on court that would fit that description.
14 sets played in four rounds so far, only two sets dropped. No five set matches as yet, and a quarter-final tie against the man who ended Andy Roddick’s tournament Feliciano Lopez - a Spaniard who just scrapes into the world’s top 40 players. It all seems to be falling into place for a Andy Murray Wimbledon bet.
Of course there have been areas of concern. The man himself complained of his lack of movement around the court against Ivan Ljubicic as the crowd collectively breather in and prayed his ankle was causing no trouble. His serve has fluctuated considerably as well: having started the tournament with a first serve percentage at a healthy 70% in the first round, that figure has dipped to between 54% and 61% for the preceding three rounds.
Against Richard Gasquet, Murray began to go up the gears in earnest. The Frenchman was posing all manner of problems in the first set, with his double-handed backhand ripping across the court and putting the Scot on the back-foot.
That he was able to resist the onslaught and in fact won that first set was a testament to the will of Murray, and winning that set broke any resistance from Gasquet.
From then on there was only one result and Murray sauntered to success. Nothing is won in the first week but plenty can be lost, and Murray looked as though they had taken this motif on board and emerged a man on a mission under the blazing sun of SW19.
Now we get to the climax of the tournament. A runners up spot at the Australian Open and a semi-final defeat at Roland Garros with a win at Queen’s represents an excellent start to the year. Now it is time to go further than he ever has before. He now has all the weapons in his armoury.
Men's Wimbledon Match Cashback