Andy Murray will begin his third career Wimbledon next week, undertaking the mighty burden of having the whole nation's expectations on his relatively young shoulders, as he battles against the world's very best in the 128-man singles draw.
Unlike his last campaign, in 2006, where he reached round four only to crash out to Marcos Baghdatis, Murray is no longer the underdog. He's seeded twelfth, he's the only British player who is expected to accomplish anything in the next fortnight, be it the more realistic goal of a quarter-final berth, or making it all the way to the final and emulating the legendary Fred Perry.
His draw has been kind, no doubt about it. There are no real obstacles who present any threat until the fourth round, where he could face Richard Gasquet, who is defending a trunkload of points from last year, when he lit up SW19 with some stunning tennis, coming back from two sets down to defeat Andy Roddick.
Henman and Murray talk at WimbledonThe British number one will face the man dubbed 'The Magician'. Fabrice Santoro is one of the most unorthodox players on the circuit, he is one of the few who use a double handed forehand and backhand. Murray will undoubtedly need his wits about him when he takes on the wily Frenchman.
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Xavier Malisse or Dennis Gremelmayr are the potential opponents in round two. Malisse once made the semis in a wonderful run in 2002 which included the scalps of Rusedski and former winner Richard Krajicek before falling to David Nalbandian in five sets. The Belgian is evidently capable on grass, but has been plagued with injuries for the last 18 months, and will be struggling for match form to make an impact on the tournament.
Robredo is the other top-32 seed in Murray's section, and this is another example of how fortunate the draw has been for the Scot. There are a plethora of claycourters who could emerge as Murray's opponent in the third round. Vliegen, Canas, and Robredo all love the slower surfaces, so it could be another former top player, Tommy Haas who will contest a last sixteen spot with Murray.
Providing the 21 year old gets thus far, the real test begins. Gasquet's elegant strokes are difficult to break down on the green stuff, and Murray has a poor 0-2 record against the fellow youngster. More promisingly, they have not played on grass before, which is arguably Murray's strongest surface also, and Gasquet's form has nosedived significantly since the year end championships in Shanghai last November.
Ominously, Rafael Nadal awaits at the far side of the quarter of the draw. The Spaniard, seeded second has improved exponentially on the grass over the last few years, and looked in impressive form at Queen's Club last week, where he trumped Novak Djokovic in the final. Murray and Nadal have served up excellent tennis in their last three meetings, each won by the Majorcan powerhouse. This would be one of the most exciting prospects for British tennis fans since Ivanisevic - Henman in the semi finals of 2001.
If Murray does manage to make it past Nadal, unlikely as it sounds, he would face a familiar adversary in Andy Roddick in the semi finals, and then possibly, a final with Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic.
Even though Murray has stated that he can win Wimbledon if he plays to his maximum level, the world number eleven is surely eyeing the quarter final match with Nadal as his realistic goal for this years tournament. The draw, made earlier this afternoon has certainly made this a distinct possibility. Now we just need to wait and see if Dunblane's finest can deliver on all this promise.
