What To Expect From Andy Murray At Wimbledon 2021
The greatest tournament on the tennis calendar is back.
Two gruelling years after Novak Djokovic retained his title and Simona Halep became the first Romanian to hold the Venus Rosewater Dish aloft, players will be welcomed back to the All England Club.
Four years after his five-set loss to American Sam Querrey, Andy Murray will return to SW19 looking to regain the pre-hip surgery form that made him the best British player of all time.
Now, you would be foolish to believe the Scotsman could challenge for the title. But what could we realistically expect from Andy at Wimbledon?
Well...not much in terms of success
It hurts to say it. I hate how the media have undermined Murray’s return and in turn, tried pushing him towards retirement. Unfortunately, after the draw was released on Friday morning, my hopes for his success this year dwindled.
All credit to ATP Media
Tough Start
It is a real possibility that Murray’s tournament will finish before it gets going.
First-round opponent Nikoloz Basilashvili has had an impressive season to date. Winning two ATP titles in Doha and Munich.
However, his most impressive result was last week’s run to the Halle semi-final. In only his second grass-court tournament of the season, he pushed Rublev to a tight three sets. Whilst beating the likes of Simon and Lloyd Harris along the way.
The Georgian’s game translates well to the green stuff. Everyone knows of his big forehand. His ability to hit through the ball rather than over it allows the ball to keep low. Meaning it skids off the ground. With Andy’s defence not as elite as it once was, it could win the 29-year-old a few easy points. In addition, if he’s able to get consistency on first serves, it would help him control rallies and move the Scot side to side.
Andy’s game plan must be to target his opponents backhand. Although solid, Nikoloz’s forehand is drastically better than his two-hander. We’ve seen in the past how brutal Murray can be in cross-court backhand exchanges. How often he’s able to switch from defence to attack before creeping into the net and finishing off the point. Murray needs to take control of points.
He can’t afford to be on the run constantly. His body can’t take it.
Murray wins Wimbledon 2016. - Credit ATP Media
Keeping Himself Fit
If the 34-year-old is looking to go deep into the tournament, he’s going to have to look after his hip. Although grass may not be as challenging on the body as clay, it still has its problems. The surface has a reputation for initiating baseline slips.
Slips that cause hyperextensions and jarrings of the bones. It’s a concern that every Brit has when watching Murray on the surface.
You can see it now:
a wide serve pushes Murray out of the court.
He returns and rushes back to the centre of the court.
His opponent hits an inside-in forehand behind the Scotsman. As he tries to change direction, he slips, tournament and year over.
It is very much a sport in itself to support Andy Murray. Therefore, expect a lot of small steps from him. He shouldn’t commit his entire body weight to a single stride. It limits the impact on particular parts of the body.
You can also expect shorter points. I’m not going to say that there won’t be plenty of iconic Murray rallies, but he may well be forced to shorten points. Nothing is worse for an ailing body than a five-hour first-round match.
Yes, if he battles past Basilashvili, he has, on paper, an easier 2nd round. But even then, he has a potential third-round meeting with Dennis Shapapolov.
A youthful, lefty who can run for days, posing more problems for Andy’s body. Especially if it’s been on court for over 11 hours in five days.
Murray at Queens 2021 - Credit ATP Media
Guiding The Lower-Ranked
Obviously, everyone will be focusing on Murray’s performances next week.
However, as an avid British fan, it has become clear that the two-time Wimbledon champion has become somewhat the ‘father’ of British tennis. Year after year, he invites young Britons to his off-season training camp in Florida. Recent attendees include Aiden McHugh and Jack Draper.
He also took part in some coaching duties during the Battle of the Brits tournaments held before the tour re-started. Telling Amazon Prime: “it’s much easier than playing, that’s for sure.”
The other, less-experienced players welcome his input. Former Queen’s semi-finalist James Ward exclaiming that “he’s knowledgable and it’s interesting to hear what he has to say about a few different things in the match.”
It’s not unknown that Murray takes interest in other players. Most fans are aware of his unique friendship with Nick Kyrgios. Guiding the outspoken Australian through his early years on the tour. There was also a time a few years ago at Wimbledon, where you could see him living every moment of Liam Broady’s first-round match.
So don’t be surprised to see an intrigued two-time Olympic champion in the crowd if you’re watching a young Katie Swan or Katie Boulter on an obscure outside court. One thing is for sure, there’s no way he misses Jack Draper’s centre court battle with Novak Djokovic. Unless he’s playing, obviously.
I really hope Murray can use Wimbledon to kick-start a consistent run of form. But it’s hard to look past the form of Basilashvili and his powerful forehand. If he does manage to scrape through, then a tough third-round encounter with Shapapolov may spell the end for Scotsman in this year’s tournament.
Nevertheless, he will remain a presence at SW19 for the week, hoping he can inspire some British wild-card entrants to take their chance at the greatest tournament of the year.
Patrick Stenson contributes to The Slice from London.
The Slice’s coverage of Wimbledon 2021 is presented by RALLY TENNIS. Download the app now by clicking the graphic above.