Can Murray Handle the Pressure of Wimbledon?

A British man has not won Wimbledon since tennis icon, Fred Perry, in 1936.

While this statistic is bandied about rather a lot, and has been since the British public’s hopes were heartlessly raised and then dashed each time Tim Henman exited the tournament in spectacular semi-final style, take a moment if you will, to imagine the magnitude of this sentence for Andy Murray.

He is the UK’s only hope, everything rests on him, and the time has come to prove himself. That’s a lot of pressure for the world No. 2 to handle, especially as last year, everything ended in disaster!

So will Murray be able to handle the pressure this year? He has made a winning start to his latest Wimbledon campaign, beating his opponents without too much trouble, bar dropping serve  in a fairly inconsistent performance against Mikhail Youzhny, who put Murrray under some real pressure in the fourth round of the tournament. Check out the BBC report on that match here.

Perhaps the pressure is getting to him; his performance in the coming match will surely tell all. To help Murray out, as well as all those who’ve been inspired by the summer’s tennis tournaments to play a few sets of their own, I’ve put together some tips on keeping a clear head when it comes to tennis.

Releasing the tennis-ion 

Keep Comfortable: Maybe Andy Murray’s sweatbands are a bit tight, or he forgot to cut the label out of his shirt when he was playing 20th seed Youzhny... In all seriousness, being uncomfortable can seriously affect your game. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re a seasoned professional, it’s important to wear the right clothing, especially a great pair of shoes or trainers.

Don’t just buy the first pair you see, shop around a little bit for the perfect pair – there’s a large selection of tennis equipment including tennis shoes, and equally important, an extensive range of racquets available at UK based Millet Sports, so you can have a good browse before you buy.

Think Positive: It’s important to stay positive, even in a tennis game you  seem to be losing. Lose your temper or despair, and there’s no way you’ll come back from it. Think of previous triumphs and how you achieved them; last summer Murray beat tennis legend Roger Federer to win the gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics and would do well to cast his mind back to his past achievement before and during his next Wimbledon match!

Murray insists he can indeed handle the pressure, commenting in an interview with the Radio Times:

"There's a lot riding on Wimbledon, but I'm better equipped to deal with the pressures and understand how I need to play matches when I get to the latter stages of the big events."

But only time will tell if this is finally Murray’s year.

(Image via Yahoo! Sports)

Rafael Nadal does not need to prove himself by winning Wimbledon

Sports betting has been around for thousands of years. Some claimed that the credit should go to Greece, home of the Olympic Games, for popularizing the social activity. Now, thanks to the advent of the Internet and online sportsbooks, the legacy of Greece has come full circle.

In recent years (or better known as the 'golden years'), we have seen the rise of tennis betting thanks to amazing players like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray who have produced some of the most epic matches and notable rivalries in history. Tennis fans have frequently used betting sites , not only to bet on their favourite players but also a source for them to get information such as scores, head to head and other resources.

With the upcoming Wimbledon Championships drawing near, fans will be asking: Will Rafael Nadal continue his winning form on grass after a successful season on clay this year? Is he back at his best? These questions are often posted by the media lately.

Nadal with his second Wimbledon trophy in 2010

Many tennis fans may have forgotten that Nadal has also won on hard court in Indian Wells after his first title on clay at Acapulco despite a seven-month break from tennis since Wimbledon.

Not only that. Nadal made a historic victory at Roland Garros recently making him the first man to win a Grand Slam singles tournament for a record of eight times. That win completes his first half of the year with a total of 6 titles - 2 Masters 1000 titles and 1 Grand Slam.

According to Nadal's uncle and coach, Toni, he is very confident that his fifth-ranked nephew is sitting in a good position to make a run at the no. 1 ranking. Nadal only trails world no. 1 Novak Djokovic by about 5,000 points, with only 90 points to defend the rest of the year. Remember last year when Nadal lost to Lukas Rosol in the second round at Wimbledon? With an impressive run so far, I can only forsee that Nadal will do better at Wimbledon this year. He doesn't need to win at Wimbledon and yet has a good opportunity to rake up more points and climb a few ranks up to be among the 'Big Four' again.

Roland Garros 2013 - Who are the Contenders?

With the draw for the 2013 French Open released today, the potential semi final permutations have begun. The most interesting fact out of the draw is that defending champion Rafael Nadal and world number one Novak Djokovic are in the same half. If they can negotiate against their other opponents, they will meet each other in the semi final stage. This sets up an enticing encounter, and one that many felt would turn out to be the final. One person who wins from this draw is Roger Federer, as he does not have to worry about facing the absent Andy Murray.

If you can get your hands on French Open tennis tickets, you will get the chance to see some of the best players in the world compete for the year's second grand slam title.

Before the draw, Djokovic and Nadal were the favourites to contest the French Open title on the last Sunday of the event. However, Roger Federer has got to be the man to beat now, as he will have a relatively easy passage to the final. Federer will have to be wary of a potential semi final clash against David Ferrer or Thomas Beyrdich. However, these are two players who he has not had a problem beating in the past. Federer would have to be seriously off his game for him to not make the final at the Philippe Chatrier Court.

For Nadal and Djokovic, the draw represents a real chance to face each other sooner than they expected. Nadal has only lost one match at Roland Garros in his career, to Robin Soderling two years ago. However, he has lost eight out of his last eleven games against Djokovic, including a final on clay in Monte Carlo. This will pray on Nadal's mind, especially as he lost two grand slam finals to Djokovic recently: at Wimbledon and the US Open. However, Roland Garros is another ball game. Just like Roger Federer seems to gain super powers at Wimbledon, the French Open is Nadal's back yard. He has been next to invincible on this court, often leaving his opponents with no chance. There was a final a few years back where he beat Roger Federer in three sets, winning one of the sets 6-0.

From Federer's point of view, just getting to the final will be an accomplishment. He is the third ranked player in the world, but that is only because Nadal has been absent through injury. If Nadal continues his stunning form for another six months, Federer would surely drop to fourth in the world. He still has that magic touch in certain games, but no longer has the fitness levels to sustain success in various tournaments. Long clay court matches will certainly test him physically, but the draw will play to his advantage.

There are many available tickets for this year's French Open. There are tickets for the early stages, where you can visit all the courts and experience the atmosphere of a grand slam.

While Nadal and Djokovic will have a gruelling semi final to look forward to, Federer's matches will be a lot shorter. This should leave him with plenty of energy in the tank for the final, should he make it that far. It would not be unreasonable to think that Roger Federer is now the favourite to win this year's French Open title.

(Image via French Open Facebook page)

Arrivals at the Sony Open Player Party

Players arrived at Sony Open Player Party 2013 held at the JW Marriott Marquis on Tuesday in Miami, Florida.

Missing from the tournament are Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal who won the BNP Paribas Open last week.

Maria Sharapova who was also recently victorious at the BNP Paribas Open made an appearance at the players' party along with world no.1 Novak Djokovic, David Ferrer, Victoria Azarenka and Agnieszka Radwanska among others.

Maria Sharapova is aiming for a rare double at the Sony Open. Only two players in WTA history have won back-to-back Indian Wells and Key Biscayne titles: Steffi Graf (1994 and 1996) and Kim Clijsters (2005).

If you bet on sports you might want to follow the tournament closely.

Novak Djokovic who is the favourite to win the tournament here is set to make a comeback after losing in the semifinals at Indian Wells last week. His 22-match win streak was ended by Argentinian Juan Martin Del Potro.

Djokovic will try to claim his fourth Miami title in Key Biscayne while Serena Williams attempts to take her sixth career crown at the $8.5 million ATP and WTA event that began since Tuesday. First-round byes are given to seeded players.

Meanwhile, Victoria Azarenka is still dealing with a nagging, painful injury to her right ankle. After withdrew from Indian Wells last week, Azarenka will enter the Sony Open without a loss. However it is still unsure whether she'll be able to play her first tournament match on Friday.

Another notable player to watch is Spaniard David Ferrer who drew strong contender Del Potro in his quarter at the Sony Open. After a spectacular start to the 2013 season, Ferrer suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Nadal in the finals of Acapulco. That seemed to drag his disappointment with him to Indian Wells. With Del Potro in his half, it could be extremely hard for Ferrer to regain back his no.4 ranking from Nadal.

Looks like the tournament will not lose its shine without Nadal and Federer.

Victoria Azarenka

David Ferrer

Caroline Wozniacki and Rory McIlroy

(Images via zimbio.com)