Less than 48 hours before the start of the Wimbledon Championships, a grounded Andy Murray is not getting carried away about his chances at the tournament.
The former world No.1 is hoping to feature in the main draw of a grand slam for the first time in almost 12 months. A hip injury resulted in a lengthy absence from the tour that was ended at the start of June. At Queen’s, Murray fell in three sets to Nick Kyrgios. A week later in Eastbourne, he scored a win over Stan Wawrinka before falling to Kyle Edmund. Those three matches sums up Murray’s 2018 season so far.
“Through all of this I have to view it, very much day by day, just as a process.” The British No.2 said about playing at Wimbledon.
“I’m practicing at a high level, a high intensity every day with some of the best players in the world. That’s really positive for me as part of getting better, to compete again.
“In other sports when you come back, you don’t tend to come back and be competing against the best in the world immediately, like, for five sets or three sets, whatever.”
Barring any last-minute setbacks, Murray believes he will play at his home grand slam. A tournament he has won on two previous occasions. He has only missed wimbledon once since making his debut back in 2005. Even more impressive is the fact he has reached the quarter-finals or better every year since 2008.
Regardless of his past record, the 31-year-old knows that this will be a Wimbledon like no other. He will be under the watchful eye of the British public, but in a different format. Expectations of him winning are sparse. Instead, the hope for him is to win just a couple matches at best.
“I think in the past that’s something that I would have maybe taken for granted a little bit. Whereas right now, with where I’m at, my recovery, I’m very aware of how I’m feeling each day, very aware of how my hip is.” He said about setting goals.
“I chat to my team lots about it. I’m spending lots of time working with my physios and stuff, trying to get stronger and those sorts of things.”
It is still very much of a learning process for the three-time grand slam champion on the tour. It has been almost six months since he has undergone surgery, but the road to recovery continues. Murray admits that he still experiences certain issues with his movement. For him, playing at Wimbledon will be somewhat like an experiment for him and his team.
“Sometimes in practice you might feel really good, and then you get on the match court and you’re pushing yourself a few percent harder. You notice other things that you’re maybe struggling with, as well. You learn a lot from competing.”
With a fresh perspective and new mindset, Murray hasn’t got his eyes on the silverware or even going far in the tournament. The hype surrounding him in his home country is different to other years. It is a somewhat unfamiliar feeling, but not necessarily a bad one.
“Wimbledon for me is obviously special for a lot of reasons. I always want to be here competing.” Murray explained.
“It feels a little bit odd coming into the tournament this year. Normally like at this stage I feel really nervous, lots of pressure, and I expect a lot of myself around this time of year. I’ve always loved that and enjoyed that in a way. It has been difficult, but enjoyed it, whereas this year it feels very, very different.”
In the first round he will take on France’s Benoit Paire. A player who has demonstrated moments of brilliance as well as mental fragility throughout his entire career. Paire recently took a set off Roger Federer at The Gerry Weber Open in Halle.
“He’s a tricky guy to play against because of his style. He does hit a lot of dropshots, he serve-volleys. He’s unorthodox with his shot selection and stuff. He can be quite up and down, too, at times.” Murray said of the Frenchman.
Murray is set to play his first round match at Wimbledon on Tuesday.
