Murray mania is simply insane

Murray puts on his best thousand-yard stare for an expectant media at Wimbledon [GALLO/GETTY]

Once again it is the time of year when sports fans, who don’t usually watch tennis, start pretending they care.

Wimbledon is a great event to attend and watch.

Whether you like tennis, strawberries and cream or extraordinarily good-looking people, Wimbledon ticks all the boxes.

For the next two weeks I shall be glued to my TV watching players with names I can’t say hit balls too fast for the naked eye to see.

The only negative of Wimbledon – other than guaranteeing two weeks of rain in June for Londoners – is the domestic media’s irrational belief that a British player can win it.

Do you remember Tim Henman? For many years Henman was destined to win the tournament, until, well…he didn’t.

There was even a hill named after the English player who never reached the final of a single Grand Slam in his career. It was cute and English, but rather ridiculous. 

Andy Murray may be a better tennis player than Tim Henman, but that doesn’t mean he will be winning Wimbledon either. The reason is simple – he is not good enough.

Most tennis fans know this, but it won’t stop Murray being pressured to semi-final disaster by those who think he can.

Flattering to deceive

This is not fair on Murray but then again it must be flattering to have so many people cheering you on. Especially when you are a player who has never won a Grand Slam, and has been well beaten in his three finals.

Henman: Good, but not that good [GALLO/GETTY]

Despite being ranked fourth in the world, he is considerably weaker than Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Sometimes, it feels as though the British press and public believe they can will their national stars to victory.

Surely if we want Murray to win Wimbledon enough then he can. There’s got to be a man upstairs who realises it is time for a Brit to shine at Wimbledon. Do your job, big guy!

The hysteria over Murray at Wimbledon echoes the way the English football team are treated before an international tournament.

England haven’t been good enough to win a tournament in the last decade but we’ve lived under the impression they just might for an awful long time.

The media delights in focusing on our most talented players, building them up and then waiting to smash them down again when they fail to win a World Cup that was never theirs to win in the first place. 

The best thing we could do right now is focus on the battle between Djokovic and Nadal and the revival of the Williams sisters.

This would be good for Wimbledon because not only is it current and interesting but it would lift some of the pressure off Murray’s shoulders.

Smashed
 
Even after his upset at the Masters in April, Rory McIlroy smashed the US Open record on the weekend.

Luke Donald and Lee Westwood are the world’s number one and two but somehow McIlroy sneaked up there to show them how to play golf.

It is unlikely McIlroy would have done this so easily if he had had the British media on his back and lofty expectations from every inhabitant of Northern Ireland.

In sport it is talent, and not goodwill, that is paramount.

Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button won the Formula One world championship because they are two of the most talented and mentally strong drivers in the world.

The England cricket team won back-to-back Ashes because a crop of young players were slowly developed by an understated and incredible coach in the form of Andy Flower.

But Andy Murray doesn’t possess the skills needed to win a Grand Slam yet.

He has had little stability in terms of coaches, fitness or success this year – and yet he is supposed to win Wimbledon? If we say Murray is superman, he better fly.

To make matters worse, the Scot has had a good run of form over the last month. From Queen’s to Wimbledon… isn’t that how it usually works? Nope. 

When it comes to the All England Club, the wise money is on Roger Federer.

He is the one with the least pressure and the best record at the tournament.

Of course it would be nice to see Murray win Wimbledon but then I’ve always wanted to see John Terry holding the World Cup aloft whilst flying past my window on a pig… and I’m still waiting.