Big three are still ahead of Murray
British hopes will again be thwarted by either Federer, Nadal or Djokovic, fears former Centre Court favourite Henman
FORMER British No1 Tim Henman fears Andy Murray’s Wimbledon hopes will again be dashed by one of the three superpowers currently dominating the sport.
The 24-year-old Scot heads into the second week of his SW19 campaign again carrying the weight of British hopes on his shoulders.
It’s a burden he has grown accustomed to dealing with and although Henman, four times a losing Wimbledon semi-finalist, has seen an improvement in Murray’s game he feels Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer possess that extra bit of star quality required to become a grand slam champion.
“I think they’re fractionally ahead. They’ve got 28 slams between them. But I think Andy is a very close fourth,” Henman said.
“The distance between third and fourth is much closer than the distance between fourth and fifth, so Andy has definitely separated himself from the pack.
“But I said at the beginning of the tournament, and my view hasn’t changed. With Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, I couldn’t make one a favourite in front of another, but I would put all three just in front of Andy at this moment in time.”
Before Murray can begin to contemplate a way of toppling any one of that triumvirate, he must first contend with world No13 Richard Gasquet this afternoon.
The pair are scheduled to be the first match on Centre Court in what is being billed as a rerun of their epic 2008 fourth round confrontation, which saw the Brit fight back from two sets down and stage a remarkable victory.
“It gets harder with every single round. I have a very tough match against Gasquet, a guy who I have had a couple of close matches against in the past so I expect a really tough one,” said Murray.
“Obviously I want it to go in my favour, that’s what I plan on doing, but you need to go out and have a gameplan and execute it well to beat guys like Gasquet.
“He beat Roger Federer a couple of months ago in Rome and he has had the best French Open that he has had reaching the last 16.
“The two times I have played him in grand slams I have found myself two sets and a break down both times so I expect a very tough game.”
Henman, too, believes that Murray won’t be taking the threat of the Frenchman lightly.
He said: “He wouldn’t be complacent against Gasquet.
“He’s too professional. He’s been around too long and he’ll know that it’s a tough match and he’ll have to play well.
“They’ve got history here those two, haven’t they?”
THE BIG THREE | MURRAY’S MASTERS
RAFAEL NADAL
Record v Murray: Won 11; Lost 4.
Grand slam titles: 10
Strengths: Boasts a remarkable defensive game. Mental toughness and extreme powers of recovery.
Weaknesses: Second serve is attackable although decreasingly so. Style of play starting to take a toll on his body.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
Record v Murray: Won 6; Lost 3.
Grand slam titles: 2
Strengths: Powerful forehand hit with extreme topspin. Serve is a major weapon.
Weaknesses: Occasionally displays a suspect temperament and has in the past shown tendency to suffer in hot conditions.
ROGER FEDERER
Record v Murray: Won 6; Lost 8.
Grand slam titles: 16
Strengths: Undisputed grass court master. Used backhand slice to great effect last week
Weaknesses: Struggles to hit high backhand. Not won a grand slam since last year’s Australian Open – could play on his mind.