Does Andy Murray Have What it Takes to Win a Grand Slam?!

Not since Fred Perry won the Wimbledon and US Open titles in 1936 has Britain produced a male Grand Slam winner. Throughout the late-1990s and early 2000s for a fortnight in the summer, Britain held their collective breaths while Tim Henman inevitably faltered again in his attempts to win Wimbledon. However, now a temperamental Scot, entering his fourth year as a pro, seems on the verge of ending a 73-year drought.

I tend to be wary when British sportspeople or teams have greatness and high expectation thrown onto them. It transcends itself into national hype and the inevitable disappointment when the country’s hope falls along with their unfounded expectation. Though after Andy Murray’s victory in Abu Dhabi, and his sensational development since he turned pro in 2005, there is a very real possibility that the Scot could prosper this year.

Let us try and avoid the usual temptation to heap too much pressure on the 21-year-old’s shoulders: he won the first exhibition tournament of the year. The players would have been rusty having come off their pre-season breaks. Furthermore, Murray only had to overcome three rounds in best of three sets – therefore not even getting close to the two-week, best of five set contests which the four grand-slams demand.

Though Murray’s development does dispels questions asking whether this latest victory was just a flash in the pan: not only did he overcome the number one and two ranked players in the world to win in the United Arab Emirates’ debut tournament; but a number of encouraging performances last year which saw him reach the US Open Final and win the Cincinnati and Madrid Masters, suggest that he could be the first British male winner of a Grand Slam in the Open Era.

Murray’s best chance, one would have thought, would be on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows after his successes their last time around – but it might just be the Australian Open, starting on the 19th January, where the 21 year old makes history. He has recorded victories over the three players ranked above him according to the ATP: Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and reigning Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic. Moreover, he certainly does not lack the self motivation and determination required to win; and having just signed with Simon Fuller’s 19 Entertainment PR agency, he might well soon have the superstar profile to support a Grand Slam winner.


Will Gilgrass – 4th January 2008