Wimbledon 2010: Andy Murray fancies his grand slam chances on Wimbledon’s grass

When the French Open began, there was a line on Murray’s profile page on the website for the men’s tour which suggested that his favourite surface was clay. That has since been changed to hard courts, and after his fourth-round defeat to Tomas Berdych at Roland Garros he will now begin his preparations for the grass, and many consider that it is on the lawns of London that he has his best chance of winning a first grand slam.
Only in the kitchen showrooms of Surrey, around Andy Murray’s home in Oxshott, would you hear a more animated debate about surfaces.

You know that summer is coming when Vogue are carrying an interview with a teenage British player it is in the July issue that Laura Robson makes the unfortunate suggestion that some of the other female players are “sluts” and when Murray is reacquainting himself with the low, shooting bounce of grass on a practice court ahead of the pre-Wimbledon tournament at Queen’s Club.
“I don’t feel terrible just now. I’ve got to get over it quickly because obviously it’s an important few weeks for me, with Queen’s and Wimbledon coming up, and I need to have all my energy focused on the tennis there.
Back in England, Murray needs to shake the clay dust from his racket bag and any negativity from his mind.
“I’ll start practising almost as soon as I get back, and I’ll get in the gym. I’ve got my hunger back, my appetite back for that, and after Wimbledon I’ll have a break but these next few weeks are very important for my year.
"My season so far has been very patchy, and the next few weeks will determine how the year is going to go.”
"It’s a pretty stressful period in terms of the stuff you’ve got to go through, so I had better get over it quickly or I’m not going to do well,” Murray said.
On the grass last season, he went through the draw at Queen’s without dropping a set, so becoming the first British champion in Kensington since Bunny Austin in 1938, and he went on to reach his first Wimbledon semi-final, where he lost to Andy Roddick.
In Paris, Murray was considered to be only an outsider for the title, but during the coming grass-court swing he will rightly be regarded as much more of a force.
"I lost last year to a guy who was playing arguably the best tennis of his life in the semis of Wimbledon and I still feel like I can improve, so I’ll try to work on my game in the next week or so before Queen’s. I do look forward to the grass. I think I have a chance of winning Wimbledon.”
While Murray’s game is best suited to hard courts, and his first grand slam final came at the 2008 US Open and his second at this year’s Australian Open, there are many players who would say that they produce their best tennis on that surface, and there is a smaller group who are comfortable on grass.
“The grass last year was very good,” Murray said. “I didn’t lose a set at Queen’s and was doing everything well. I feel like I’m hitting the ball well, I feel like I have got confidence in my game again, I just need to make sure I take that to the grass and do a few things a little bit better.
Last season, Murray won six titles, with tournament victories in Doha, Rotterdam, Miami, Queen’s, Montreal and Valencia. He has not retained the first three of those six, as he did not play in Doha and Rotterdam and he lost his opening match in Miami.
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Tennis: WTA to launch probe into Laura Robson’s controversial ‘slut’ comments

The WTA Tour issued a statement yesterday which suggested they will investigate what the former Wimbledon junior champion said during a fashion shoot.
Women’s tennis authorities have requested a transcript of the interview given by Laura Robson to Vogue magazine in which she was reported to have described some fellow players as ‘sluts’.
‘We understand that an actual transcript of her remarks exists and we will review it carefully as soon as we receive it.’
‘We are aware of Laura Robson’s reported comments to Vogue UK along with her statement that the comments were taken out of context,’ said WTA Tour spokesman Andrew Walker. 
The fuss could hardly have come at a worse time as Robson prepares for the grass-court season that leads into Wimbledon, where she is expected to play in both the main draw and the juniors.
According to WTA sources, there is virtually no prospect of the 16-year-old player being punished over the incident.
Among other comments, Robson is quoted as saying that some other players ‘go with every guy and make such a bad name for themselves’.
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Wimbledon 2010: Russian gets edge in firepower

Elena Dementieva looked like a battered warrior as she sat in her courtside chair, with dark, blood-like splotches on her lower legs and a bandage on her left calf.
The world’s fifth-ranked women’s tennis player had, just moments earlier, collapsed to her knees, covering her tearful face in her hands in joyous relief after a draining 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-4 win over Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que.
The red clay staining Dementieva’s legs created an impression that reflected the dramatic 2 hour 43 minute match on the French Open’s Court Suzanne Lenglen.
“She looked like she’d just won Wimbledon,” Wozniak was able to joke later about Dementieva’s pose at the moment of victory.
On the court, the quality of the rallies heightened as the first set climbed to 3-3 and 4-4. Then, it became apparent the 12-inch wrap on Dementieva’s calf was definitely not decorative. She was struggling to plant and push off on that leg and, trailing 4-5; she had a visit from the trainer and took a pain-killer.
After winning the first point of the ensuing tiebreak, the Russian dropped six in a row with some ineffectual play, eventually losing it 7-2.
As she walked off at end of the set, once sensed she might be going to retire. Dementieva, who hobbled into her post-match media conference, was asked how close she came to stopping.
“To be honest with you, I was very close,” she said. “I had so much pain, but I didn’t want to stop the match. This tournament is just so important to me, so I was trying to do my best no matter what.”
Dementieva, 28, attended the Lycée Charles de Gaulle in Moscow as an adolescent and is very fond of all things French.
Wozniak did not make it easy, hitting with unflinching consistency and depth, trading ground strokes with one of the best pure hitters on the women’s tour.
“I’m here for a reason,” Wozniak said later with commendable self-assurance, “because I am supposed to compete against top-10 players in the world and allow my game freely and not be afraid or intimidated.”
Though she has been through a rough few months, that has included regaining her fitness, changing coaches and rejigging technical aspects of her game, Wozniak competed with a genuine professional edge and was more like the woman who got to a No. 21 ranking in June of last year, not the one who currently slumbers at No. 48.
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“I’m just very, very proud that I was able to stay strong and fight no matter what, especially with this kind of pain,” Dementieva said.
Having dusted Wozniak 6-0, 6-1 just two weeks ago, she acknowledged the 22-year-old Canadian’s improvement.
“She played so much better than the match in Madrid,” Dementieva said. “She moved well, pushed hard from the baseline and her backhand was very solid. She was fighting right to the end.”
A talented ball-striker, Wozniak has not always looked to have the same pit-of-the-stomach appetite for the game as some players. But yesterday, she had a mature perspective on the match after an effort that left little to be desired.
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Wimbledon 2010: ‘Budapest Bullet’ the star turns but Jack’s the lad for Derby glory

As Hungary’s sporting icons go, the name Gabor Tenczel may not roll off the tongue with the familiarity of Puskas or Monica Seles.
But tonight, without a ball in sight, Wimbledon SW19 is bracing itself for a flood of his countryman all hoping to witness the crowning of a champion with the dog called Lyreen Mover, who they have affectionately nicknamed the ‘Budapest Bullet’.
Yes, you’re not hallucinating, a Hungarian-trained dog is actually running in the final of the English Greyhound Derby.
Lyreen Mover started his career in Ireland and although winning seven races in his first year, never really reached his full potential.
His Italian owner Max Picinelli moved the dog to Holland in July 2009 to run in the European Championship at Geldrop.
The son of Top Honcho went lame shortly after and Max then sent the dog to be trained in Hungry by Tenczel with the hope of running him in the European Derby at Rabapatona, western Hungry in September.
Tenczel not only got Lyreen Mover there but got him there in the form of his life. He won the competition by five lengths, breaking the track-record.
Next stop: Wimbledon. Lyreen Mover and Tenczel flew over and have been lodging at Tony Magnasco’s range in Oxford.
When 206 dogs set out four weeks ago, Lyreen Mover was an unconsidered 500/1 chance. Tonight he’ll line up as second favourite behind the Irish raider, and new track record holder Toomaline Jack.
"This dog is my best friend," beamed Tenczel through a translator. "He is the fastest dog I have ever trained, in fact he is the fastest dog anyone has ever trained.
"He always wants to be in front and he has a will to win that makes him impossible to pass. I think we are the one to beat in the Derby Final. I am very proud."
That’s a comment not lost on Dolores Ruth, the Irish handler who trains her greyhounds on Ireland’s Curragh racecourse and has her own story to tell with the unbeaten Toomaline Jack, who is my confident selection "He wasn’t really meant to be here," commented the handler, who won her first English Derby with Shanless Slippy in 1996.
"If we were coming to Wimbledon it was for the Champion Hurdle, but the injury he sustained last year meant he had a lazy winter and when we brought him back in the Easter Cup he ran a stormer. I thought, let’s have a crack at the Derby."
With a clock stopping performance in the quarter-finals, Toomaline Jack set a new Wimbledon track record of 28.25 seconds for the 480m trip, accelerating from 0-45mph in little more than a single second.
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Tennis 2010: Murray faces French exam

Andy Murray has been handed a testing first-round match at the French Open after drawing local favourite Richard Gasquet.
The world number four – also the fourth seed at Roland Garros – faces the former world number seven in what looks one of the toughest possible openers.
Gasquet has plummeted down the rankings to 68th but will provide a stern test on the Scot’s less-favoured clay.
Gasquet and Murray were involved in an epic five-setter at Wimbledon two years ago, which the Scot won from two sets down.
Should Murray progress, he faces a tough potential second-round clash with Argentina’s Juan Ignacio Chela.
Also in Murray’s half of the draw is defending men’s champion and world number one Roger Federer.
The Swiss ace begins the defence of his title against Australian Peter Luczak.
Four-time winner Rafael Nadal will play French wildcard Gianni Mina.
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Looking ahead to Wimbledon 2010 – Corporate Hospitality Group

Wimbledon is once again on the horizon. This year, the expectations for a British Wimbledon champion will be as strong as ever.
There will be a lot of hype and speculation over Andy Murray’s form or on Laura Robson’s potential to cause a few upsets.
Whatever the story may be, we all know it’s going to be an epic. After all, this is Wimbledon.
The tennis year started with everyone believing it would be Andy Murray’s time to win his first Grand Slam.
Unfortunately, he came up against Roger Federer, who overwhelmed Murray with his exemplary shot-making and flawless serving. The tournament ended with Murray in tears and devastated, saying: “I can cry like Roger, it’s a shame I can’t play like him.”
Since then, Murray has been in stuck a rut, losing in the early rounds of Dubai, Miami, Rome and Indian Wells.
As a result, his form and ability has been put under scrutiny as well as being questioned on whether he has the nerve to win a Grand Slam.
In my opinion Murray’s performances in the ATP events are irrelevant, it is at the Grand Slams where it counts.
Murray’s recent results reflect how his intensity and motivation for the ATP events have fallen by the wayside, but I’m sure that at the Slams his desire will be turned on, and if he can have a great French Open it will help ignite confidence and boost his chances of winning Wimbledon.
The media will still make it their responsibility to elevate Robson and any players like South who manage to achieve any significant success. In contrast, South will hope to achieve similar heights as Murray and Robson by trying to reach the third round for the first time after failing in the last two years.
All the British tennis players have the opportunity of doing well this year but, realistically, there are a crop of talented players who can also win the much-coveted crown, such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick. Personally, I think if Nadal wins Roland Garros and then the Aegon Championships I wouldn’t put it past him to win Wimbledon.
Considering the way Nadal is performing on the red stuff and the way he dismissed Federer clinically in the Madrid Masters, he is looking exceptional.
But this year’s championship could feature for the first time in seven years a final without Roger Federer-if this does occur, this year’s final will be doubly special.
So it’s either going to be Murray, Djokovic or Roddick taking the other spot and whoever does get that place will have to do something out of this world to beat the machine (Rafa) because, at the moment, it looks like no one can find his off switch.
As for this year, Wimbledon have decided to increase this year’s prize money to a million pounds for both men and women, While another thing to look out for will be the Queen’s arrival to centre court.
The last time she visited was in 1977, when Virginia Wade won her first and only Wimbledon title. Since then 40 years have past, facilities have changed, champions have got stronger.
All in all, the game has changed for the better, and come what may in those two weeks, Wimbledon without a doubt will be a sunny affair.
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Tennis: Murray needs to get an Eiffel lot better

Rafa Nadal will be unstoppable at the French Open over the next fortnight.
But Andy Murray must find the momentum in Paris to bring to Queen’s Club and Wimbledon next month.
The Spaniard became the first man to win all three Masters events on clay this season when he triumphed in Monte Carlo, Rome and Madrid while dropping only two sets.
He’s the hottest favourite going into Roland Garros since he won his fourth French Open in 2008 without dropping a set. I will be shocked if he doesn’t win.
After the knee problems which forced him out of Wimbledon last year, it is great for the sport to see him back to form and fitness. The key to his return this year has been better scheduling of his tournament appearances.
Previously he played far too much and tried to please everyone. He had played at Barcelona to support Spanish tennis, but this year he made the tough choice to rest and it was the right decision.
Roger Federer, who won his first French Open last year, has not played well since Australia but has the ability to step up for the Grand Slams. This is what Murray must do.
He suffered massive disappointment in losing the Melbourne final then fell to his first big opponent in David Ferrer on Madrid’s clay last week.
There are still technical problems with his weak second serve. And he needs more depth on his forehand. These are the areas where he needs to improve to win a Major.
Reaching the quarterfinals in Paris like last year would be a good performance and his draw is favourable. Richard Gasquet will be tough in the first round with the home crowd, but I expect Murray to win.
He is then likely to face Marcus Baghdatis and John Isner before another Frenchman, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, in the quarters. Nadal and other dangerous Spaniards like Fernando Verdasco are in the other side of the draw.
The women’s singles usually throws up surprise winners with Svetlana Kuznetsova beating Dinara Safina last year. But this year promises to be between the Williams sisters and the Belgians Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters.
I’ll be at the LTA’s National Talent ID Finals in London this week, the culmination of a nationwide search to find our best young players. Nearly 200 have made it to London and Bolton next week. It ensures the best youngsters go on to be supported by the AEGON FutureStar programme.

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Women Tennis: Russian women left in the shade

PARIS: Twelve months after Russia provided both finalists at the French Open, the country’s female tennis players are experiencing a serious collective slump.
Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated compatriot Dinara Safina in straight sets in last year’s decider but both have since failed to make any kind of impression at the major tournaments.
Golden girl Maria Sharapova reached the quarter-finals in 2009 following her return from a long-standing shoulder problem but injuries continue to plague her and the former world number one is currently ranked 13th.
Kuznetsova, Safina and Olympic champion Elena Dementieva continue to fly the Russian flag in the world’s top 10 but the Williams sisters Serena and Venus are now ranked first and second respectively and arrive at Roland Garros with proven Grand Slam pedigree.
Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki, currently ranked third, is the new rising star in the women’s game and Belgian comeback queens Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin have returned from retirement with silverware in their sights.
Safina’s fall from grace has been perhaps the most alarming.
Her 6-4, 6-2 defeat to Kuznetsova in Paris last June meant she had lost her first three Grand Slam finals in straight sets and after being thrashed by Venus in the Wimbledon semi-finals she lost in the third round at the US Open.
A painful back injury sustained at the Australian Open forced her out in the fourth round and her subsequent absence has seen her fall to ninth in the rankings, having risen to first last year.
Her return to action saw her reach the last eight at Stuttgart but she fell in the first round in both Rome and Madrid and insists her focus now is on keeping free from injury.
"My back injury is the worst you can get, because if things go wrong again, that might be it for my professional career altogether," said the 24-year-old, who was diagnosed with a double stress fracture and a ruptured muscle in her back in January.
"With a broken arm or leg, you can rest it, but with your back it is almost impossible. It has made me realise how much I love tennis.
Defending champion Kuznetsova, meanwhile, followed up her Roland Garros triumph with a third-round exit at Wimbledon and defeat to Wozniacki in the fourth round at the US Open.
She got no further than the fourth round at the Australian Open and a serious of early exits culminated in a shock first-round loss to Israel’s Shahar Peer in Madrid earlier this month.
"It’s frustrating, because I know I have the game," said Kuznetsova after a second-round defeat at Indian Wells in March.
"I feel great. I do practice, play unbelievable, and then get to the match and I don’t do much."
Sharapova was another first-round casualty in the Spanish capital, losing in straight sets to Lucie Safarova on her comeback from a two-month lay-off with an elbow injury.
Sharapova last tasted success in Memphis in February and her countrywomen Dementieva, Vera Zvonareva, Alisa Kleybanova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova have also won titles in 2010.
The big guns, however, have fallen quiet, and with the Williams sisters on the warpath, Russia’s women look uncharacteristically exposed.

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Women Tennis: Andy Murray in French Open to play Richard Gasquet

The first round in the French Open could be a difficult match for Andy Murray when he meets up with   the French player Richard Gasquet.
Andy Murray won his last match against the French player when they met in Wimbledon in 2008 and gave everyone a glorious five set thriller to be entertained by although he had lost their previous two encounters.
Richard Gasquest who is presently ranked at number 68 could give Murray a far harder match than his ranking would suggest as he is a very talented player.
Gasquest who is 23 has had some problems to overcome with injuries and a positive test for cocaine last year which got him banned from the game.
His ban for the drugs test was later dismissed as it was accepted that he had inadvertently consumed the substance when kissing a woman who said she had taken it while she was at a party.
Roger Federer will be in the same half draw as 23 year old Murray and his game will be against Peter Luczak.
Round one for the women will see the number one women’s player, Serena Williams, playing against  Stefanie Voegele.
Presently seeded at number 22 women’s player Belgian Henin has the possibility of facing Maria Sharapova in the third round and then the even more daunting task of playing the quarter finals against Serena Williams.
Three British women players will be in the main draw on ranking which is a first since 1992 however each will have a difficult match in the opening round.

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We take care, women tennis players say

PARIS – Just because you spend hours sweating on tennis courts all year round does not mean you cannot take care of yourself.
Serena Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova reminded everyone on Friday that tennis players had a life away from the courts.

The world number one has been going to nail school, while the defending French Open champion is into tattoos and diamonds.

Serena got the idea earlier this season when she was sidelined with a knee injury, twiddling her thumbs in boredom.

Well, I was injured, and then I was twiddling my thumbs at home. I had nothing to do. I was just working out and just trying to get better," the American told reporters two days before the French Open starts.
"I was bored, and that’s how I got into nail school kind of. First day was fun. It was easy. I’m really advanced, so I’ve had a lot of experience."

While Serena is seen as somehow coquettish, often wearing skintight outfits, including a leather-looking ‘catsuit’ she wore as a 17-year-old at the U.S. Open, Kuznetsova does not enjoy the same reputation.
The women’s singles usually throws up surprise winners with Svetlana Kuznetsova beating Dinara Safina last year. But this year promises to be between the Williams sisters and the Belgians Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters.
The Russian, however, shares a few hobbies with Frenchman Gael Monfils.

"I think we’re alike," she saud.

"We do like similar things, we like similar music. We like tattoos, cars, diamonds."

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