With the grass court season getting under way at Queens this
week the interest of a nation swings round to the one Grand Slam that seemingly
exists in the British consciousness. The
Great British hope has been struggling recently with disappointing performances
on the clay and a restrictive back injury culminating in a four-week lay-off
and him missing the French Open. Now
Murray has a chance to put the clay court season behind him and get back to
more familiar surroundings. How will he
fare on the grass in the upcoming weeks?
The most pressing concern for Murray at present must be his
back injury. At 100% Murray can match
any of the top opponents for the title, though if his movement, power or
stamina is restricted in any way you feel his chances are slim against the big
dogs. Queens should give us a good look
at the state of Murray before Wimbledon, and hopefully he will come through it
unscathed firing on all cylinders and with some much needed grass court match
practice under his belt.
The main rivals for the title are predictable, and few. Djokovic is always the man to beat, and his
ability to step-up his play when he needs it the most is truly impressive. Question marks remain over Nadal, with his
knee proving untested on any surface apart from clay since his comeback he must
be hoping that his body can keep up with the intense pressure he puts on it in
every game and that he can maintain his rich vein of form from the clay court
season. Federer is more than capable of
producing one last hoorah on the grass, and he has the potential to take out
any of the top guys on any given day.
Stamina could be an issue if he is taken to 5 sets though, and I expect
him to fall at the semi-finals. The
effervescent Tsonga could prove a handful for anyone, straight off the back of
his best-ever performance at the French Open he will be full of confidence and
like Murray able to use his serve to great effect on this surface. Berdych could also spring a surprise as he
has all the weapons to succeed on grass, though his form of late has been poor
so his mental state could let him down at the key moments. Expect to see Mr Consistent Ferrer in the
final stages as well, however his record against the top 4 suggests he may fall
short at the semis or quarters.
With Murray it is never a question of talent, it is
temperament which is the decisive factor in how he performs. He has a tendency to revert to a passive game
when times are getting tough, putting the ball in court and waiting for his
opponent to make a mistake. This is fine
against the lower-ranked opposition he faces, but could prove his downfall
against the top seeds willing to take the ball on. When Murray is positive and aggressive he can
beat anyone, and especially with his serve firing on the grass courts he can
pick up plenty of easy points. He is one
of the fittest players on tour so capable of going the distance over 5 sets
with Djokovic or Nadal, and if Murray can maintain this positive approach he
could win Wimbledon this year.
Let’s not forget that this was the venue where Murray
triumphed during the Olympics, and he will have the vast majority of the crowd
right behind him cheering him on. However
this could prove to be a double-edged sword with the anxiety of the crowd
adding pressure upon him to perform. The
expectation of a nation must be a heavy burden for one man’s shoulders.
If Murray is fully fit then I expect him to reach the final at his favourite tournament and think he will face either Nadal or Djokovic for the crown. With a packed Wimbledon crowd willing him on this might just be Murray’s year, and the chance to prove that, to him, the grass is always greener than the clay.
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