35-year-old Andy Murray still has the same hunger and desire to win on the tennis courts as he did when he was world number one. The Scotsman has enjoyed a fantastic start to the 2023 tennis season, including reaching the Qatar Open final, with only world number seven Daniil Medvedev capable of stopping Murray from landing another ATP Tour title.
Murray also reached the last 32 of the Indian Wells Masters, before losing in straight sets to fellow Brit, Jack Draper, who looks an upwardly mobile prospect. Murray’s strong showing on hard courts is an encouraging sign ahead of this summer’s grass court season, with the Brit desperate for one more “deep run” at SW19 before the end of his career.
Wimbledon is still one of, if not the most, coveted tennis tournaments on the planet. As one of the four Grand Slams, it’s comfortably one of the most popular tennis betting markets in the calendar year, alongside the likes of the US and French Open and the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Murray’s recent performances have seen him inch to within a whisker of the world’s top 50 again, which is no mean feat given his ranking had drifted as low as 503rd in September 2019.
No-one will want to be drawn against Murray at Wimbledon – metal hip or no metal hip
In a recent interview with The Times, Murray said he believes his body “will be in a great place” by the time Wimbledon comes around. He also said that he feels “less players play well on grass”, which could stand him in good stead and increase his chances of being involved at the business end of the tournament.
Murray is a two-time Wimbledon champion back in 2013 and 2016. His successes at SW19 put British tennis firmly back on the sporting map, ending the long wait for a British champion since Fred Perry. It still beggars belief that Murray is able to play at such a high standard given that he now has a metal hip. Doubles tennis icon Bob Bryan is another player that’s undergone the same hip surgery. Bryan spoke of his awe at the way Murray is now getting involved in the “most physical matches” at tournaments and demonstrating “incredible recovery” between rounds. All of which should stand him in good stead for one final crack at Wimbledon.
As Bryan said, Murray benefits from having the “best team in the world” behind him, with a coach (Ivan Lendl) that he’s worked with for many years. Murray could not be in any better shape going into a Wimbledon, which is a remarkable thing to say given that he had “retired” at the end of the 2019 Australian Open.
