Olympic Tennis 2012: Can Andy Murray Stare Down Pressure to Win Gold?

Andy Murray was supposed to cruise to an Olympic semifinal in front of a home crowd. Boy, did he get a wake up call in his third match of the summer games.

Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis gave the No. 4 player in the world an early scare, stealing the match’s first set. Fortunately, Murray found a way to settle down and squeeze out a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory.

Murray’s struggle against Baghdatis brings concerns going forward on whether he has what it takes to win it all. Now that he has shown some weakness, the pressure to win has only increased. It won’t stop until he tastes gold.

Or he might not be so fortunate.

Murray claimed playing away from the Centre Court roof altered his game because the weather wasn’t at its best. Wind gusts were especially prominent during the first half of the match. That’s when Murray played a little more loosely than his fans would have liked,

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“After playing two matches indoors, where there's none of that to worry about, I was pretty unsure of myself at the beginning of the match and didn't feel comfortable on the court. Then I managed to settle myself down and move my feet better to get in better position in the second set.  I played some good tennis after that.” via Paul Newman - The Independent.

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The good tennis paid off. Murray won eight straight games en route to a quarterfinal berth. Baghdatis had no answer for Murray’s mix of power, strength and control down the stretch.

Arguably the greatest Scot ever to grace the tennis court, Murray has been measured by his Grand Slam count ever since he started cracking the top 10 in 2007. Zero major titles, for those counting.

He’s been to a Grand Slam final four times and reached the semifinals in all four major tournaments. His career singles record? A solid 75 percent winning percentage. This quarterfinals berth is already the furthest he’s ever been in Olympic play.

But, all of those numbers are null and void without a win on the big stage.

That elusive major may not change him as a person, but it will define Murray’s legacy as a long as he is unable to climb the mountaintop. London may be his best chance with a home crowd behind him and a familiar court at Wimbledon, where he was a finalist only a month prior.

To take gold, two of his archenemies potentially stand in his way: Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. Both men have won a Grand Slam title at the expense of Murray. Even more so, Federer has Murray’s number, having beaten him three times in Grand Slam finals.

The only way to a gold medal is to go through his two rivals, which is one tall task for the hometown star.

Though, first will be world no. 12 Nicholas Almagro, who Murray knows well and has beaten in their last two meetings. Then—most likely—Djokovic and Federer will follow in that order.

A murderer's row of matches await. To finish at the top of the podium, that's how Murray should want it.