Andy Murray Needs to Summon the Rory McIlroy Spirit for Sporting Immortality

Rory McIlroy confounded the critics who queried his nerve and his ability to hold onto a commanding lead after his US Masters collapse in April, by racing to a famous and dominant US Open victory on Sunday evening.



Can Murray end that 75 year wait?

I blogged here and here about how enormous that success would be in the history of golf. Now, as a sporting fan of some compare, I'm looking forward towards the remainder of Wimbledon as another British sportsman looks to emmulate McIlroy's reach towards the sporting Gods.

Andy Murray - Wimbledon Champion?
Having won the Queens Tournament running into Wimbledon and having reached the semi-finals of the French open in impressive style prior to that, Murray is clearly in very good form.

But can he really do what no British man has done in 75 years?

Back in January, on the eve of his Australian Open final, I blogged here about that interminably long wait for a British man to walk out from Fred Perry's long shadow. Unfortunately, Djokovic comfortably dispatched of Murray in that final which made it 3 losses out of 3 Grand Slam final appearances for the boy from Dunblane.

Fred Perry won his last Grand Slam at the US Open in 1936 just months after winning at Wimbledon. It is those marks that any British sports fan will hope that Murray can overcome in the days ah.

He has never reached a Wimbledon final - indeed no British man has done so since Bunny Austin in 1938.

Nadal, Federer, Djokovic, Murray
Murray clearly has the ability to win his first slam and to do so, at of all places, Wimbledon. It would also be incredibly apt for him to do so on the 75th anniversary of Perry's last victory and on the 125th anniversary of Wimbledon itself.

But he needs the fight, the sheer belief and determination and the focus shown by McIlroy at the Congressional Country Club golf course in Maryland, USA last weekend to do so.

It will all be required and some to overcome the likes of reigning champion Nadal, 6 times Wimbledon winner Federer and the seasonal form man Djokovic - all of whom along with Murray make up an impregnable Top 4 in the men's World game at present.

Murray Vs McIlroy?

What is certain is that Murray will join McIlroy in the pantheon of British sporting legends if he can do so.

What is incredible is that despite McIlroy's heroics last weekend, if Murray is indeed successful in his quest this Wimbledon, he will not only walk out of Perry's shadow but will in doing so, more than put McIlroy's magnificent achievement into the shade.

Is Andy Murray the Man to end 75 Years of British Tennis Hurt?

Baddiel & Skinner famously sang of England's '30 Years of Hurt' in their footballing 'Three Lions' epic of 1996. As it happens, that particular English heartache now extends to 45 years and counting.

But that's nothing. Because British tennis fans have got a lot more hurt to mull over. To be precise, we've been waiting 75 years since the last British man won a Tennis Grand Slam - Fred Perry winning his 8th and final Grand Slam at the US Open in 1936. He was the first player to win each of the 4 Grand Slam titles but no British man has even managed to win one of them since.

Fred Perry

Andy Murray is now one match away from breaking that voodoo. His excellent, well fought win over David Ferrer today means that he is a Novak Djokovic victory away from creating history.

He's not the first British man to reach a Grand Slam final since 1936 but he is the first to have done so on more than one occasion.

John Lloyd lost in the Australian Open final in 1977 whilst Greg Rusedski lost in the US Open final in 1997. Andy Murray meanwhile lost in the 2008 US Open and 2010 Australian Open finals.

Britain has had more success in the women's arena but even that is now fleeting. The last female singles winner was Virginia Wade in 1977 at Wimbledon (having also won the US and Australian Opens in 1968 and 1972), a year after Sue Barker won the French Open in 1976.

But to wait 75 years for a male winner is quite staggering. Is Murray the man to do what the likes of Lloyd, Rusedski and Tim Henman failed to accomplish? It's about time that a British player stepped out from Perry's shadow.

In Novak Djokovic, he has a stern opponent. Yes, he isn't Nadal and he isn't the Federer who has defeated Murray in his previous 2 Grand Slam finals, but Djokovic is a real test. In 7 head-to-head matches, Djokovic leads by the slender margin of 4-3 but he does have the experience of having won a Grand Slam title in 2008 - in Australia of all places. Djokovic also defeated Federer of course in the semi-final so he's on top form.

So Murray has a tough tough test but then this is a Grand Slam final - there's no easy matches at this level!

Can he do it? Of course he can. But he needs his form to turn up at the arena on Sunday in a way in which it didn't when he played in his previous two finals.

It's been 75 long years. Britain deserves a win now surely! Andy Murray certainly does.

So...COME ON TIM! Uh....I mean COME ON ANDY!