Regular readers will know that I take every opportunity to have a little dig at Andy Murray and his ability to win a major, especially Wimbledon. Well, I’d hate to disappoint, so here’s another.
As everyone will know, the dominant Williams sisters have done it again, this time through Serena, and Rafael Nadal has picked up his second Wimbledon title, beating Thomas Berdych in straight sets. Good for them, they are the top players in tennis at the moment and likely for many years to come.
It is perhaps unfortunate for Murray that he has to have his career at the same time as Nadal and Federer (perhaps the best male player ever). But then, Tim Henman had to play at the same time as Pete Sampras. Tough luck, raise your game.
Except they can’t. Murray is a consummate tennis player. I take nothing away from his abilities on the court. He is far and away the best player Britain has had in a long, long time. Better than Henman and certainly better than the faux Brit we hung our hats on in Greg Rusedski.
But he is not and never will be in the elite class that features Nadal, Federer, Sampras et al. Why? For the same reason the England football team will never win a major championship in my life time.
Having the skills is one thing, having the belief is another. I’m sorry to keep banging on about it, but British people have a defeatist attitude. Not all of us, but most of us and especially those of us right smack bang in the middle of the media spotlight. Fear of failure dominates us.
How else do you explain Murray’s ease in reaching the semi finals only to come up against his nemesis Nadal and, frankly, crumble? He played well in the semi final but Nadal was simply better. Yet not at any point did you think Murray, despite all his protestations to the opposite, really BELIEVED he could beat the Spaniard.
There’s something about Murray I like. He has this attitude, this way of speaking, this way of handling defeat in a manner that suggests he wants to learn from it, better himself, fix what went wrong and go one better next time. But when he gets on to the grass at Wimbledon with the world’s best facing him over the net, it all goes out of the window.
It’s curious that Murray has beaten Nadal at a major before but still carries that fear with him. That Great British defeatist attitude is not so easily overcome it seems.
Murray-mania will raise its ugly head this time next year and, unless both Nadal and Federer are knocked out before he has to meet them, Murray will disappoint us again.
I sincerely hope he does win a major. His talent deserves it. His best chance has to be the US Open. But here at home on the green, green grass of SW19 I never see it happening.
