Key Andy Murray questions answered ahead of Wimbledon

15 June 2016 05:23

Andy Murray heads into Wimbledon on the back of a first French Open final and looking to win his second title at the All England Club.

The British number one will be making his 11th appearance and will be seeded second behind defending champion Novak Djokovic.

Here, tennis.co.uk looks at the main questions surrounding Murray's campaign.

How's he looking?

If he can translate his clay form onto grass, then very good indeed. Murray beat both Rafael Nadal and Djokovic on the red stuff, winning the Masters title in Rome, prior to his run in Paris. Murray's performance in beating defending champion Stan Wawrinka in the semi-finals was one of the best of his career but Djokovic again proved a step too far in the final.

Will it be another final against Djokovic?

They have met in both slam finals this year so far and it would certainly not be a surprise if there was a repeat at SW19. Djokovic has only lost one grand slam match since 2014 so it is tough to see him not being in the final. Murray has not made it back since 2013, losing to Grigor Dimitrov in 2014 and Roger Federer last year, but he is clearly the second best player in the world at the moment.

So could Murray beat the world number one this time?

Djokovic has won all five of their slam matches since Murray beat him in the final at Wimbledon in 2013 and 13 of their 15 matches in all tournaments. But Djokovic has failed to get a set off Murray in two previous matches on grass, and the surface could be the Scot's trump card. Not that Djokovic has exactly struggled on grass - he has not lost a match at Wimbledon since 2013.

What difference can Ivan Lendl make?

The biggest question surrounding Murray's campaign will be how reuniting with the man under whom he won both his grand slam titles and an Olympic gold medal affects him. Lendl, an eight-time slam champion, gave Murray the belief to play his best at the biggest moments and also helped him keep his focus on court. If it is the same again this time, he might just have the edge to usurp Djokovic.

Has anything else changed?

Yes, there is a new lady in Murray's life in the shape of daughter Sophia, born in February. She is apparently a very good sleeper so Murray will not have to take to Centre Court bleary-eyed. More prosaically, the 29-year-old has also beefed up his vulnerable second serve.

Source: PA