Murray ready to shoulder burden of expectation yet again at Wimbledon

CAN Andy Murray really win Wimbledon?

It is a question that has become as synonymous with the championships as strawberries and cream and once again the British public will dump a heavy burden of expectation on the shoulders of Britain's No 1 player.

And the truth is Murray would have it no other way.

The 23-year-old Scot is quite happy to be reminded that he would be the first British man to lift the men's singles trophy since Fred Perry back in 1936.

He would much prefer to give you his thoughts on the likelihood of that than who he might be supporting in the football World Cup.

He has been burned by that question before, when he was quoted as saying he would "support anyone but England" at the 2006 World Cup, a throwaway comment made in jest.

On winning Wimbledon his answer is mature and matter of fact, but deadly serious.

"I've always said I'll win one (a grand slam). That's why I train hard and make sacrifices," said Murray. "It doesn't have to be this year. It doesn't have to be a rush and a panic.

"I'm just trying to work as hard as I can and take my time. Most of my friends haven't finished university yet so I've got a long road ahead of me. I have time on my side."

Granted, but the thousands of fans who turn Wimbledon into the hottest ticket in town for two weeks every year are in a hurry. They want to see the best British tennis player for 74 years win it this year.

And there are good reasons why Murray needs to do so sooner rather than later.

At 23, he is still young but two years older than when Roger Federer won his first grand slam at Wimbledon and four years older than Rafael Nadal when he won his first French Open.

And those two show no signs of going away just yet. Federer retains his hunger and a wish to play on until his year-old twins are old enough to enjoy it.

At 28, the 16-time grand slam winner retains an insatiable hunger and motivation to win and of all the top players Federer is the most suited to the game physically.

He moves with an economy of effort, caresses the ball where Nadal bludgeons it, glides where Djokovic stamps. He does not batter his body like so many of the rest.

Wimbledon, with a slick surface rewarding fluent movement and an all-court game, remains the grand slam most suited to his physical and mental talents.

Nadal is back on track with a more streamlined programme after his body creaked at the pressure it was under from the relentless nature of his game.

The Spaniard has proved to the clay-court specialists in recent years that you can win on grass with heavy top spin and a baseline game.

Add into the mix Novak Djokovic, three-time runner-up Andy Roddick, Robin Soderling and Nikolay Davydenko and you can see why winning a grand slam in an ultra-competitive modern era is such a magnificent achievement. It is why Murray cannot guarantee anything, apart from the thrills which go with being one of the gutsiest players on tour.

Think of Murray at Wimbledon and you think of his epic fourth-round match with Richard Gasquet two years ago when he pulled out a miracle third-set tie-break and went on to win in five sets, standing on the Centre Court wall in the process and roaring his defiance to a watching world.

You think of that defining five-setter as a callow teenager against David Nalbandian which stirred the patriotic emotions.

You think of last year's fourth-round match against Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka, the first to be played entirely under Wimbledon's retractable roof, which ebbed and flowed for three hours 56 minutes, eventually ending at 10.38pm in a five-set Murray victory with thousands having stayed to roar him on.

Murray, who is still much misunderstood and whose humour and zest for life fails to crack that veneer of Scottish granite, might not be universally loved, but those are the performances which earn undying respect.

He has the physical strength, the stamina and the will to win. All that remains is putting it all together for the two weeks that matter.

On the women's front as long as the Williams sisters are fit and well and motivated the title is going their way – so say the statistics.

Only Maria Sharapova and Amelie Mauresmo, other than the Williamses, have won the Wimbledon singles title in the 21st century. In that time, there has been only one Wimbledon women's singles final that did not feature either Venus or Serena, the 2006 final in which Mauresmo beat Justine Henin.

Venus has won the Wimbledon title five times, Serena, the reigning champion, three times. That is sporting domination at its finest.

Other women have dominated in the past of course. Margaret Court with her elegance, Billie Jean King with her pugnacity, Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf with their athleticism.

But none of them pushed back the boundaries of women's tennis quite like the Williamses.

Venus regularly serves faster than many of the men, her world record delivery clocking in at 129mph. Serena's groundstrokes are hit with a savagery with which many players cannot cope. They have upped the power and speed of the women's game in a manner many thought impossible.

And Wimbledon is clearly the arena which best suits their flat hitting style.

Will the Williams domination of SW19 continue into another decade? There is every chance because, despite their forays into fashion and films and charity work, neither shows any lack of desire when it comes to winning trophies, Serena having added a fifth Australian Open in January.

The problem is that it is difficult to identify players who can outhit or outfox them on grass.

Henin is one and if the Belgian and former No 1 can return to the form before her shock retirement then she has the ripping groundstrokes, especially on the backhand, to trouble the Williamses. Sharapova, the 2004 champion, needs a clear run without injury.

What the future of women's tennis needs is for 19-year-old Dane Caroline Wozniacki to fulfil her potential. But in truth it is wishful thinking. The smart money says the Williamses will kick off another decade in control of SW19 with Federer also tightening his hold on Wimbledon history.