They say that behind every good man there’s a good woman, and in Andy Murray’s case that certainly seems to be true.
The Scottish star married his long-term partner Kim Sears in April in a ceremony in his hometown of Dunblane.
The holy matrimony has coincided with Murray’s best ever form on clay, and not content with picking up his first ever trophy on the surface in April’s Munich Open, he followed that up with victory in the recent Madrid Masters too – dismantling Rafael Nadal, one of the game’s greatest ever players on clay, in straight sets.
Great Britain’s sensational victory over Croatia that saw them return to the Davis Cup World Group for the first time since 2008 means they will play the United States away in February.
An Andy Murray-inspired win against a strong Croatia line-up has now given the chance for Britain to take on Jim Courier’s US side, in a clash that sees the two original Davis Cup nations face off for the first time since 1999.
The last time Britain played at the top level of the tournament, they lost 4-1 to Argentina, but there have been some significant improvements under Leon Smith’s captaincy and the team will know they have a chance of defying the tennis odds on betfair.com, as long as Murray recovers from his back injury in time.
It will be the first time the US and GB have been drawn against each other since 1999, when the United States won a thriller 3-2. And while GB have spent time outside the World Group in recent years, the USA have featured in the first round every year since 1989, falling at the quarter-final stage in this year’s tournament at the hands of finalists, Serbia.
US captain, Courier, is not short of options when naming his team, able to call upon the likes of John Isner, Sam Querrey, Ryan Harrison, and the best doubles team in the world, the Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike. And Courier has admitted he is looking forward to the prospect of coming up against the British next February.
“Great Britain will be a challenging and exciting opponent for us,” said the former world number one, according to the betfair website. “It’s going to be memorable to have the two original Davis Cup nations face off again for the first time since the competition’s Centennial Celebration in 1999.”
Andy Murray finally won one for the Brits, defeating top-seeded Novak Djokovic in straight sets for the Wimbledon title. Still, it wasn’t easy:
Yes, this was history, and Murray’s 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 victory over top-seeded Novak Djokovic was a fitting close to nearly eight decades of British frustration in its own backyard: A straight-setter, yes, but a hard-fought, 3-hour, 9-minute affair filled with long, punishing rallies and a final game that may have felt like another 77 years, with Murray squandering three match points before finally putting it away after four deuces.
Murray has definitely paid his dues, and it’s nice to see him finally get what he so desperately wanted.
Posted by Christopher Glotfelty (01/29/2010 @ 7:11 pm)
Andy Murray is a player with all the talent in the world, but has lacked the magic that helps one prevail in a Grand Slam. He’s faced criticism ever since he cracked the top 10 in the world rankings. Experts think he lacks the ambition and stamina that the decorated players possess. I’ve never thought that was true. After losing an important match, I always notice a look of shame on Murray’s face. I just think the pressure can become a bit too much for him when progressing towards a Grand Slam final. His self-doubt must arise when people openly ponder when his time will come. Of course, Murray is just 22 years old, so it’s unfair to call his career a lost cause. Murray will eventually capture a Grand Slam — everyone expects it. Tennis fans are just tired of waiting.
Murray has breezed through the 2010 Australian Open. In the fourth round, he defeated 33rd seed John Isner in straight sets. The quarterfinals posed a much tougher challenge in Rafael Nadal, last year’s champion. Murray was incredible in the first set, sending Nadal all over the court. It looked to be a gigantic upset. However, Nadal rebounded in the second set and suddenly we had a match. The set went into a tiebreak, which Murray took. To everyone’s disappointment, Nadal later retired the match. Nevertheless, it’s our own fault for immediately crediting the outcome to Nadal’s injuries rather than Murray’s excellence. Even though Nadal’s knees got the best of him, this was Murray’s match to be had. In the semifinals, Murray took on Marin Cilic, a young Croatian coming off a spectacular five-set win against Andy Roddick. Murray was yet to drop a set, but everyone prepared for him to collapse as he usually does at this point in a Grand Slam. When Cilic won the first set, it didn’t look good. However, whether driven by the skeptics, his pride, or both, Murray immediately gained control and took the next three sets.
Now, as per usual, Roger Federer is waiting in the final. The Grand Slams were made in Federer’s image and Murray knows it. The last time these two met in a Grand Slam final was at the 2008 U.S. Open. Things did not turn out well for Murray as he was routed by Federer in straight sets. Strangely enough, Murray holds a 6-4 overall record against Federer. However, as Federer is quick to point out, only one of those was a five-setter, that being his victory at the U.S. Open.
Simply put, Murray needs the energy to play up to four or even five hours. Murray is one of the few players that matches up well with Federer. He’s able to read Federer’s groundstrokes, which prevents him from having to chase after the ball. His overally game has improved, but that isn’t going to be enough. This match is going into the fifth set. If Murray is prepared to go the distance, he might walk away with his first Grand Slam championship.
