Subtle development sees Murray in with chance of denying Nadal

Andy Murray has handled the burden of expectation this Wimbledon with maturity.

He has appeared to grow more comfortable in his own skin as he has progressed to today’s semi-final against Rafael Nadal.

His back-up team have been subjected to fewer diatribes. There has been less swearing, less grimacing, less angst.

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“I feel in a better place mentally,” Murray admitted after his straight-sets win in the quarter-final against Spain’s Feliciano Lopez.

That is good news as Murray prepares to take on the man who beat him in straight sets at the same stage last year.

It gets better when you consider Murray is in his best form of the season, having reached the semi-finals of the French Open for the first time in his career earlier this month and having won the title at Queen’s in his last tournament.

It is true, we should not get too far ahead of ourselves because sport, especially British sport, is littered with tales of so near yet so far.

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The most obvious example, particularly when it comes to tennis and, even more so with Wimbledon, is Tim Henman’s list of hard-luck stories, reaching the semi-finals four times on the strength of a serve-volley game deemed perfect for SW19, only to be denied a final appearance on each occasion.

To reverse that trend is Murray’s challenge on Centre Court when he must play the match of his life against an opponent renowned for playing every match as if he was playing for his life.

The world No 4 has lost both his previous meetings with the formidable Spaniard at the All England Club in straight sets, most recently in the semi-finals last year.

Despite that disappointing defeat and a very similar one in the last four of the French Open earlier this month, Murray insists he is more confident than ever that he can beat Nadal and reach a first Wimbledon final.

The fourth seed said: “I believe I can win against him.

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“I had chances last year. I was up a break in the third set, had set point on my serve in the second set. I think there was only one break in the first set.

“We both played good tennis. But I just have to have a better game plan. Sometimes it comes down to strategy. Sometimes it comes down to having more experience.

“I just have to go out there and play well and serve well and believe in myself. Do that and I’ll have a chance.”

There are, quite clearly, various reasons for optimism that Murray can end his Wimbledon jinx against Nadal.

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It lies in the Murray backhand which has developed into one of the biggest weapons in tennis. It lies in the variety of his shot-making which has become more fluent as the tournament has progressed and in the weight of his first serve which, in common with the top players, so often enables him to dig his way out of a hole.

Most of all, however, it lies in the mental toughness he has gleaned from six previous grand slam semi-finals and three finals.

True, he did not win a set in those finals and there are those who use that statistic as evidence of his fragility when it matters most.

Murray’s game, however, has been developing subtly. He has been keen to learn and ruthless in switching coaches with his grand slam goal always in mind.

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Should Murray get past Nadal, he can expect to face an equally tough battle in Sunday’s final against either No 2 seed Novak Djokovic or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, conqueror of six-time champion Roger Federer in Wednesday’s quarter-finals.

Djokovic, the more likely opponent, is on the brink of overtaking Nadal at the top of the rankings and began the year with a 41-match winning streak.

But Federer halted that run in the semi-finals of the French Open, and Djokovic acknowledges how close things are getting between the world’s top five or six players.

“It’s not only about the top four,” Djokovic said. “There are other players that are able to play great tennis, and Tsonga has proved it.

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“It’s all very close at this level, especially in the second week of a grand slam.”

And while Nadal, Federer, Djokovic and Murray had pulled away from the rest at the top of the men’s game, the likes of Tsonga – seeded 12th here – have already shown they are capable of springing surprises and are, albeit slowly, closing that gap.

All the time Murray himself has been creeping closer to Nadal, Federer and Djokovic. Closer to history. Ah yes, history. The biggest obstacle of all.

It is 73 years since a British man has contested a Wimbledon men’s singles final. That was in 1938 when Henry ‘Bunny’ Austin was defeated 6-1 6-0 6-3 by Don Budge. That was the summer the great English batsman Len Hutton scored 364 runs in a Test match.

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It was the year Adolf Hitler was Time magazine’s ‘Man of the Year’, Neville Chamberlain was the British Prime Minister and the average price of a house in the UK was £545. That is the void Murray seeks to cross today.

So far Murray’s ride at Wimbledon 2011 has been serene. No great dramas, no major hurdles. Virtually a walkover in the last round against Lopez whose lack of resistance bordered on the embarrassing. Some fear he could be undercooked against Nadal. Not Murray.

“I don’t think how I’ve got here is important,” Murray said. “I’d rather be fresh and ready mentally for this game because it’s an incredibly difficult task and I’ll have to play great tennis if I want to beat Rafa.”

So he will. He needs to be utterly focused with none of the lapses in concentration he showed against Ivan Ljubicic. He needs to be ultra-aggressive, too, resisting his natural instinct to be passive and not allowing Nadal to dominate from his preferred position at the back of the court.

Most of all Murray, the maturing version, needs to believe this is his time. Do all that and it just might be.