Let's Cool It on the Wimbledon Hype, Says Andy Murray
With his victory at Queen's Andy Murray has stoked home hopes for Wimbledon – but he's determined to stay cool and take it one step at a time
Andy Murray did everything right. He won the Aegon Championship, beating the American James Blake 7-5, 6-4 to become the first Briton to take the Queen's title since Bunny Austin in 1938. And he remembered to kiss his mum, Judy.
"I played some of the best tennis of my life," he said, instantly raising expectations that on the 100th anniversary of Fred Perry's birth, here finally was a British player capable of breaking the 73-year drought since Perry, at the 1936 Championships, last won a men's grand slam. Murray, not renowned for his hyperbole, said it was "pretty special". Tim Henman, who never won a title on grass, lost three finals at Queen's.
In the past 30 years only seven of the Queen's champions have not won the Wimbledon title. "I'm not one of them, unfortunately, but I'm going to try my best to change that." And so a week of hype will intensify, although on this occasion, with Murray No3 in the world, and having reached the US Open final last year, there is at least justification for it. "I'm not planning on getting caught up in the whole hype and the pressure. I'm going to try and just concentrate on playing and winning matches. You can let the pressure affect you if you want to. You can let the expectation get to you, but I'm just going to play tennis and not worry about the rest of the stuff."
Not that Murray will retreat into a monk's cell for the next seven days. "I'm going to live my normal life," the Scot said. "I'm not going to start switching the TV off or not listening to the radio when I'm in the car. Or if there is a paper on the table I'm not going to not look at it. Everyone deals with the situation differently and I'm going to live normally."
It may not be easy. But Murray has come so very far since he won his first ATP match here in 2005 when he also suffered severe cramp. "I'm a way, way better player than I was back then." This was his 12th title, already one more than Henman. "I'm playing very well just now. But there are some great players out there, and even if I'm playing great, I can still lose."
The British Wimbledon tennis public will doubtless close its ear to that.
"I played some of the best tennis of my life," he said, instantly raising expectations that on the 100th anniversary of Fred Perry's birth, here finally was a British player capable of breaking the 73-year drought since Perry, at the 1936 Championships, last won a men's grand slam. Murray, not renowned for his hyperbole, said it was "pretty special". Tim Henman, who never won a title on grass, lost three finals at Queen's.
In the past 30 years only seven of the Queen's champions have not won the Wimbledon title. "I'm not one of them, unfortunately, but I'm going to try my best to change that." And so a week of hype will intensify, although on this occasion, with Murray No3 in the world, and having reached the US Open final last year, there is at least justification for it. "I'm not planning on getting caught up in the whole hype and the pressure. I'm going to try and just concentrate on playing and winning matches. You can let the pressure affect you if you want to. You can let the expectation get to you, but I'm just going to play tennis and not worry about the rest of the stuff."
Not that Murray will retreat into a monk's cell for the next seven days. "I'm going to live my normal life," the Scot said. "I'm not going to start switching the TV off or not listening to the radio when I'm in the car. Or if there is a paper on the table I'm not going to not look at it. Everyone deals with the situation differently and I'm going to live normally."
It may not be easy. But Murray has come so very far since he won his first ATP match here in 2005 when he also suffered severe cramp. "I'm a way, way better player than I was back then." This was his 12th title, already one more than Henman. "I'm playing very well just now. But there are some great players out there, and even if I'm playing great, I can still lose."
The British Wimbledon tennis public will doubtless close its ear to that.
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