Andy Murray: Is the World No. 3 Under Too Much Pressure?

Retired players Boris Becker and Greg Rusedski have recently commented on what Andy Murray needs to do to win a Grand Slam singles title. Roger Federer downplayed Murray's recent run in Asia, where the world No. 3 won that many titles in a row. That's not even taking into account the weight of an entire nation on Murray's back nearly every time he takes the court.

There's a lot of talk about Murray's game and what he can or can't do coming from people outside of his own camp.

Is it too much?

As it stands now, Murray's career results are impressive: a number of victories over his main rivals, a consistent place in the top four of the rankings, 21 singles titles won (eight of those being Masters 1000 crowns) and three Grand Slam runner-up finishes.

It's those Major finals, though, that spark most of the talk.

Murray is seen by most people involved in the game as a future Slam champion, with some even wondering why he hasn't gotten it done yet. It has to be flattering to be in the conversation, but until he gets it done, the tag of "best active player without a Slam" will be his, no question.

And that's where the pressure intensifies. But if one were to look at it, Murray has done quite a good job of handling it. Playing under the banner of Great Britain, which has been starving for a male tennis champion for decades, Murray, of Scotland, has still fought through the extra attention to win titles in London and make the semifinals at Wimbledon.

It's a matter now of just taking it that next step. And if he's injured, as he indicated after his opening-match loss to David Ferrer at the ATP World Tour Finals, perhaps he would do well to start thinking about the 2012 Australian Open.

It could be a way to downplay some of the pressure he faces, unfair or otherwise.