Off court friends, on court foes.
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| 'Ssake, ye cannae put the roof up, It's nae even dark!? ' |
Here we are, number 1 seed Novak Djokovic versus number 2 seed Andy Murray at 2 o'clock on centre court, Wimbledon. The two 26 year old's, Murray 7 days older, battling it out for the £1.6 million winner's prize money and a large shiny gold trophy.
Statistically speaking, Djokovic is superior to Murray winning 11 out of the 18 matches played between the two. Having accumulated almost double the career earnings of £33.7 million and winning six majors to Murray's one. On paper Novak is favourite.
However, any previous stats can go out the window. This is a unpredictable grass surface and a predictably supportive home crowd for Andy. No doubt there will be a star studded audience of A-listers suited and booted to support one of GB's genuine world class sportsman. This kind of inspiration could give Murray the edge and the mental boost when the chips are down.
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| Lads on tour |
Momentum is key. It's as simple as that. Both men are technically brilliant, sharing a similar two-handed backhand and a booming first serve. The final will be won and lost by the player who can provide the smallest number of unforced errors. Obvious as this seems, but the pressure and tension on court needs to be channelled into accurate solid shots. Novak is known as 'the Iceman', having won every grand slam bar Rolande Garros and in 2011 winning 10 Tour events including 3 grand-slams.
Murray still has his own style of managing his performances on court, vocally and loudly berating himself when playing poorly.
The real turning point was Murray winning gold at Wimbledon at the London 2012 Olympics and The U.S Open. Gaining mass British support and conquering his final playing demons, has created a strong and confident Murray. Something he was lacking in previous years, having been the 'nearly man' of tennis. There is a noticeable swagger to his game now and it is a new positive attribute that has been formed by winning the big matches.
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| In the semi finals Murray defeated Janowicz and Djokovic beat Del Potro in one of the most entertaining grass court matches of all time. |
This is the first year that Murray has not been labelled as the under-dog (regardless of Federer and Nadal both exiting early on) and this kind of expectation seems to suit his methodical approach and composure. Physically, Andy Murray has transformed into a fantastic athlete providing him with the tools to reach shots previously out of sight.
Djokovic moves like no other tennis player, his footwork and suppleness around the court seem superhuman at times and making the impossible look easy. Both players are truly two of the best returners around, making for a potential five set whirlwind final.
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| Wimbledon 2013 |
This final is guaranteed to be a howitzer regardless of the outcome. I'm not going to predict or speculate on who will be victorious. But, I have no doubt that it will be a classic, hopefully ending the 77 year old wait for a British Men's Wimbledon Champion.
'Mon Murray!
