Is Murray About To Follow The Great British Tradition of Falling Short?

When Andrew Murray burst on to the British tennis scene a few years back he was instantly tipped for the top. As British tennis hopes on the dwindling career of the consistently disappointing Tim Henman faded, they were transferred to "grumpy teen" sensation Murray. Could Britain finally have a champion of the hallowed Wimbledon turf?

Since then Murray's rise into the top 20, and now the top 10 has been solid, if not meteoric and has been blighted by injury. Despite changing coaches from Brad Gilbert to Miles Maclagan, and undergoing much more physical training (displayed at this years Wimbledon tournament) the question still begs as to whether Murray actually has the raw ability to go all the way, and win a major tournament. There is obviously a possibility that Murray may follow the footsteps of British tennis stars Henman and Rusedski to name just a few, to show a lot of promise, but fail to deliver when it truly counts.

On the positive side, Murray has certainly improved over the last few years, albeit not at the same rate as the sensation Nadal, who at 22, is just a year older than Murray. The change of coach seems to have worked a treat as has the fitness building. Murray was impressive in the fourth round to overcome the (at times) brilliant Frenchman Richard Gasquet despite being two sets and a break of serve down, in what was arguably the second-best game of the tournament, surpassed only by the monumental final.

However, Murray remains a long way of his rivals in an increasingly competitive Men's Tennis Circuit. The likes of Nadal are clearly streets ahead as shown by his demolition of the Scot in the quarter-finals. Along with the impressive (albeit out-of-form) Novak Djokovic and the serene Roger Federer who will no doubt strike back with something to prove. Murray has only broken into the top 10 in the world after this year's South London tournament. Clearly, a streak of form is needed in order for Murray to regain momentum and to have any chance of competing with the world's best.

The biggest question however is whether if he were on his best form, at the peak of his career and at the top of his game will he every be able to compete with the likes of Federer and Nadal? He may well give them a good game in the future, but I cannot see him overcome say, Safin in the last eight, Nadal in the semis, and Federer in the final of a major tournament at any point in his career - let alone in the near future.

Only time will tell, but perhaps Britain's best hope of success since our beloved Tim, will ultimately offer a lot of exciting Tennis over the years but ultimately fail to put British tennis back on the map.