Andy Murray
Third seed Andy Murray
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Thursday, 18, Jun 2009 12:08
Date of birth: 15/05/1987 (Age: 22).
Nationality: Scottish
Height: 6ft 3in
Weight: 185lbs
Plays: Right-handed
Turned professional: 2005
Current ATP singles ranking: 3
Best Wimbledon performance: Quarter-finalist - 2008
Grass court pedigree
Murray shot to the forefront of the nation's consciousness on the grass courts of Queen's Club back in 2005 with a series of heroic displays which took him to the brink of the fourth round. His status as a grass court tournament winner of the future was then confirmed two weeks later when, as an 18-year-old grand slam novice, he defeated 14th seed Radek Stepanek to become the first Scottish man in the open era to reach the third round at Wimbledon.
After last year's run to the quarter-finals of his home grand slam was brutally ended by then-world number two Rafael Nadal, Murray's grass court potential was finally realised when he won this year's Aegon Championships without dropping a set.
Wimbledon seeding: 3rd
Chances of SW19 success?
Despite professing a preference for the hard courts of the US Open, Wimbledon provides Murray with an excellent chance of breaking his grand slam duck. Slower courts and modified balls might have killed off the serve-and-volleying grass court specialist, but there are still only a handful of players equipped with the necessary tools and guile to win at the All England Club.
As Murray proved last week at the Aegon Championships, he is undoubtedly one of them - and the ease of his victory suggests he has earned a place alongside defending champion Rafael Nadal and five-time winner Roger Federer in the top group of Wimbledon challengers.
Prediction: Finalist
The accepted view in the tennis world is that Andy Murray will win a grand slam at some point, but whether he does so at Wimbledon this year is another matter.
The main problem he faces is that in order to win the tournament he will, in all likelihood, have to beat Federer and Nadal as none of the other players appear capable of doing him any favours.
On his day, Murray has proved he is more than a match for either of the top two players in the world, but having to get past them both in the space of three days could be too much of an ask at this stage of his career.
Tim Lesnik