Is Andy Murray just the next Tim Henman?

For two weeks of the summer the whole of the British population focuses on one tournament in particular – Wimbledon. Every year hope is high that for the first time since 1936 the men’s single title will be won by a Brit, and every year hope disappears as quickly as it arrived.

Andy Murray is the current world number four and Britain’s best chance of winning a Grand Slam title. However, Murray has failed to break through the last three Wimbledon semi-finals and has also reached three Grand Slam finals in the past four years, only to be beaten in straight sets on all three occasions. The question has to be asked, does he have the bottle to win a Grand Slam, let alone Wimbledon?

There is no doubting his ability - he wouldn’t have reached three Grand Slam finals if he wasn’t capable of winning - but his problem stems from two major factors: Quality of competition and expectation.

It could be argued that there have never been a better top four ranked players in the world as there is at the current point in time. Roger Federer is without a doubt one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Rafael Nadal has won ten Grand Slam titles and Novak Djokovic is the new world number one and Wimbledon champion – all three stand in the way of Murray’s ambitions of winning a Grand Slam title.

Expectation has contributed to the downfall of many top British sportsmen, no more so than former British number one, Tim Henman, who failed to win a single Grand Slam title in his 16 year long career. Some players thrive under pressure, but it must be difficult knowing that your fans will only be satisfied once you have won at Wimbledon.

What Murray does have on his side is time. He is only 24 and will certainly be around for a long time. However, Nadal and Djokovic are also young and will be around for as long, if not longer, than Murray.

I believe Murray will win a Grand Slam title, but it’s far more likely that it’ll be in Australia or the US rather than at Wimbledon. Personally, I’m rooting for Britain’s next generation of tennis players in Oliver Golding and George Morgan, both of whom made the Boys’ Doubles final at Wimbledon, and Liam Broady, who made the Boys’ Singles final.

Britain’s wait for a Wimbledon winner continues...



Murray still awaits his first Grand Slam victory