Nick Wright previews this weekend's clash between York City Knights and Hull FC
Alex Reid looks at whether the once ever-present appearance of English clubs in the later stages of the Champions League is set to become a thing of the past
Craig Dobson looks at QPR's decision to sack Neil Warnock and replace him with Mark Hughes
James Tompkinson reviews an excellent pre-season victory for the York City Knights against Yorkshire rivals Leeds Rhinos
The former gripe seemed to hold firm last Sunday when he became the first British player to win at the Queen’s Club in over 70 years, and the most he could manage was a fist pump and a half smile. As for my latter complaint, however, I risk sounding slightly hypocritical, as I tend to support Ireland over England in rugby and football, so I’m not really in a position to judge. Murray’s comment a few years ago that he would support any football team that was playing England was blown out of proportion, and is probably what any self-respecting Scottish person would say anyway. Also, Murray’s grown-up a lot since then.
OK so I don’t really hate the man, despite what my friends might tell you. But I defy anyone who insists that I have to support him because he is British. Here I take my cue from Michael Winner who, when not making dubious ‘esure’ commercials, once said that he didn’t understand why fellow Brits that he met abroad felt they should suddenly become friends; just because you share the same nationality as someone, doesn’t mean that you would be friends had you met back in the UK. Besides, tennis is an individual’s game, geared more towards individual stars rather than national teams (aside from the Davis Cup of course). If I prefer watching Federer or Nadal than Murray, I don’t suddenly become anti-British.
But therein lies my problem – I do actually quite like watching Murray’s games. His variety and style of play is a breath of fresh air amid the, nowadays apparently standard, hard-hitting baseline rally game. Murray has less raw power than, say, a Nadal, so he uses all the tricks up his sleeve to create some seemingly impossible shots. His drop shots in particular are a specialty, disguising them until the very last second.
All this has got the British press very excited, unsurprisingly, about his Wimbledon chances. Given that Nadal announced on Friday that he would not defend his title this year, the path slowly seems to be clearing for Murray to take the crown. He is currently the world number 3, and a hot favourite for the tournament; it is also the 100th anniversary of Fred Perry’s birth, the last British male to win at The All England Club, and the man whose clothing line is currently Murray’s sponsor. There are all sorts of wonderful dots that the press can join together to create a picture of Murray holding the trophy, but the Scot is not letting it get to his head. Aside from moving house this week, possibly not the best move before a Grand Slam, he is focusing on his game and not letting anything distract him.
So there you have it – while I desperately try to keep up the veneer of disliking Andy Murray, I’m finding more reasons to like the guy. But will I be supporting him when Wimbledon starts on Monday? I think not; this year, Roger Federer is my guy.
Wimbledon starts on Monday 22nd June
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