Sunday Column: Don’t get your hopes up, Andy Murray won’t win Wimbledon

The greatest tennis tournament is just around the corner and starts on Monday. As always, the pre-tournament media hype is all on Britain’s only hope, Andy Murray. But, don’t get your hopes up, he won’t win it.

Murray is currently ranked third in the world and won easily in the traditional warm-up event at Queens Club in Kensington. He also has an incredible track record this season – unbeaten on grass, and has only lost one match (Novak Djokovic in the final of the French Open) since getting married.

He has even racked up 34 career titles earning himself over $37,700,000. This include two grand slam wins, and he is actively seeking his third.

The Scot has just hired a psychiatrist to help him win the most prestigious of tournaments once again and Murray himself has admitted that parts of his game are just getting better, and physically he is in a better place now.

“I feel like I’m serving a bit better than I was then. Physically I don’t have the problem with my back now. It helps my backhand, it helps my movement for that side of the court as well. It’s small things but they make a big difference for me.

“Being pain-free has helped me mentally as well. It’s helped my training. It’s helped me enjoy tennis a lot more. When you’re playing and your body is very sore and you’re in pain when you’re hitting certain shots, it’s fine at the beginning but after two years it’s hard.”

Andy Murray

This all sounds good I hear you cry. He can do it!

No. He can’t.

As the seedings were announced this last week, Murray would have been sitting at home, crossing his fingers, legs, toes and every other extremity that he wouldn’t be seeded third. But, in his own heart he would have known that after the complicated formula was used, that would be where he was.

This means that not only will Murray meet Novak Djokovic in the final (should the Serbian make it that far), but he will have to fight his way past twice champion Rafa Nadal in the quarter-final, and my pick for the tournament, Roger Federer in the semi’s.

This is no small feat, one which is made harder by the possibility of having to face Jo Wilfried Tsonga early on in the tournament as well.

A feat that should he make it through, Murray deserves to win the trophy.

But, and I can’t reiterate this enough, he wont.

Swiss stalwart Roger Federer has been there, done that and got the t-shirt – not to mention his name engraved 17 times on all four grand slam trophies across his glittering career.

He won the Gary Weber open in the past week, and says himself that he is not thinking of retirement, rather an eighth (yes 8th) Wimbledon title.

And, I can’t see past him.

Sure, Djokovic is special, but Federer has the will to win, and win he will. The Basel-born 33-year old loves this tournament, and Wimbledon loves him. He always draws a crowd, and owes some of his success to the thousands that follow him wherever he goes.

Not only will Roger Federer win Wimbledon this year, but he deserves to win. And, he will get the greatest cheer of them all if he was to lift the trophy for an eighth time on Sunday 12th July.