Andy Murray’s quest to reach the Wimbledon finals has all the elements of a fairy tale. The brooding villain - coach Ivan Lendl; the damsel - Kim Sears, with flowing locks in case she ever needs to escape, and the drama of the match finishing as the clock strikes 11pm (was he about to turn into a pumpkin?).
On Friday July 6th, it’s welcome back to reality.
Now, you may not be old enough to remember Virginia Wade’s victory in the Queen’s Silver Jubilee back in 1977, however you’ll understand how a national event can sprinkle more than a little magic. In this Jubilee year, Murray is attempting to create history of his own, and in the shadow of the biggest show on earth in London this summer.
And when Fred Perry, the last British man to win Wimbledon, stepped out on court in the summer of 1936, he beat a German. That was just weeks away from the Berlin Olympics. Spooky.
This is the fourth time in a row Murray is fighting to get to the final. All that stands in his way is the friendly Frenchman, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Murray admits that he wasn’t the fastest at sports as a kid but he developed excellent co-ordination through lots of practice.
Which goes to show, you don’t have to be the best at something to achieve greatness, but you do have to stick at it. And just because Murray’s been a Wimbledon semi- finalist four times before doesn’t mean he can’t win. Does it? Fingers crossed, and with a bit of fairy dust thrown in…
ANDY MURRAY. Did you know?
- Murray turned down the chance to play for Glasgow Rangers
- Andy tries to sign as many autographs as possible after missing out on Agassi’s as a kid
- He began playing tennis aged three
- His Olympic hero is Michael Johnson, the 400m world record holder
- Murray likes to set challenges, including Lendl rollerblading into Wimbledon wearing Lycra.
Make a racquet....
With racquet clubs up and down the country, give it a little Murray action yourself! Or do you have a Murray junior waiting in the wings? Starting from the ground up we want to develop our junior academy. Look out for events and programmes nationwide to help young players be the best they can.