Andy Murray: Carrying the Hopes of a Slam-Starved Nation

The inviting pristine green lawns, the delicious strawberries and cream, the tormenting weather—yes, these are the very familiar scenes associated with the most traditional Slam of the year, the Wimbledon.

But the two unfamiliarities too should be making their presence felt this year at this prestigious event-the roof on Center Court and Andy Murray in semifinals of his home Slam.

The first should be bringing relief to the relentless spoilsport rain has played over the years; the second—which is not an unrealistic possibility—would be renewing the high expectations of a Slam-starved nation because of that particular player's ruthless demonstration of dexterity in the sport.

Yes, Andy Murray, the 22 year old British is on a high. And his putting an end to the drought of a homegrown hero clinching the Queen's title—something the ardent fans had been waiting for for the last 71 years since Bunny Austin won it—is good enough to put the nation into a delirium.

The frenzy and the spirit were clearly palpable when Murray played some swashbuckling tennis to win his first grass title and 12th title overall defeating James Blake 7-5,6-4

The unflinching support that the spectators showed throughout the match, the affectionate cheers and applause for their hero, Murray's running to his mom, Judy, and kissing her after the victory which the replays showed again and the plethora of questions that Murray was asked on-field clearly indicate the nation's eager expectations in trying to witness that heart-stopping and glorious moment which has eluded them for 73 years turning it into a frustrating, anxious wait.

That wait continues since the time Tim Henman failed to break the semifinal code four times and hopes got washed away...

And now that hope has once again been risen by this very Dunblane native and it is indeed validated.

Andy Murray continues his journey into limelight from Cincinnati, where he started last year by grabbing his first Masters title.

A Grand Slam final appearance, one more Masters title to end the year were followed by some display of raw talent amalgamated with flawless execution at Doha, Rotterdam and Miami—the tournaments which delivered him titles this year.

A rise to the world's top three brought more responsibilities and he didn't disappoint with his best-ever performance-reaching the quarter-finals at his least favourite Slam—the French Open.

And he has translated that confidence into grass very effectively. Seeded at the top at Queen's in the absence of defending champion Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray brought up his A-game onto the fast courts where he is so comfortable on and didn't drop a single set throughout the week.

The serves are bigger which made a huge impact on his achieving success at Queen's, with which he lapped up more than half the points he won. More interesting to observe is how he has been doing that far more consistently, a sight unfamiliar till now. Even the second serves are not letting him down.

He lived up to the epithet of "one of the best returners in the game." The fast-paced, double-fisted backhand return that Murray is such an expert at has been accompanied by smashing forehand returns too—the knees bending rightly on the middle of the court in anticipation, culminating into a wondrous angular return which very much brings back memories of good old Agassi.

Yes, angles which are undoubtedly evidence of the tennis brain he possesses, have been creating havoc on his opponents. Even when he momentarily finds himself down in a game it is the unbelievable angle that he manages to create, which puts his opponent in a precariously unreturnable position.

The depth of his shots kissing the lines, the perfect slice and even lob at times that he has continuously produced from his arsenal just establishes him as a huge threat to his opponents.

The spot-on anticipation power, the subtlety, the deft touches, the brilliant shotmaking, the fast switching of defense to attack, the success in keeping the points short, the conjuring up of shots from the most obscure part of the court leaving the opponent overawed, just add more evidence to that fact.

Andy Murray who is still learning the tricks, is not flawless—especially because he needs to volley more and be far more aggressive on grass. Tipping him to win the Wimbledon in the presence of a man called Roger Federer—who played some amazing tennis and showed immense will to win his 14th Grand Slam—may not be quite justified.

The confidence might just be enough for Roger to make him break the world record that he now shares with Pistol Pete.

Also not forgetting the fact that the defending Wimbledon champion, Rafael Nadal is now on a sabbatical to recuperate from injury and even though he might not be in the best of shape to defend, it will be idiotic to write him off given the way he stunned the world with his Australian Open final win after his exhausting thriller in the semi.

But the way Andy Murray has continued to show the tremendous and striking improvisation of his game after hours of hard work, dedication and rigourous training, he might be very well making inroads into these two supremo's games and enjoy some comfort playing against them at Wimbledon if he can keep up his fitness level and give his nation more reasons to cheer for.

As Murray aptly sums up in his honest confession, "I am a long way from winning the Wimbledon but I feel confident."