Former Olympic champion Monica Puig says Andy Murray will be ‘a force to be reckoned with at Wimbledon’ this summer and is in awe of the Scot’s fighting spirit.
Murray has endured a challenging past three years and after undergoing a hip resurfacing operation in 2019, but managed to climb just outside the top 60 after an impressive showing at the Australian Open.
The former world No. 1 reached the last-16 in Melbourne following defeat to Roberto Bautista-Agut, which came after an incredible win over Thanasi Kokkinakis when the Scot sensationally recovered from two sets and 5-3 down.
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"I feel that Andy has something to prove every time he goes on the court because the amount of times people have counted him out, said he was never going to play again, said that physically he's not going to endure the rigours of professional tennis again. Having something to prove works for some people and others it doesn't, but it definitely works for him," said Puig in quotes published by Sky Sports.
"I believe he crossed paths with one of the doctors who said that he was never going to be able to play at this level again and he was like 'aha!' so it's like he wants to prove he still has it, that he's still got it and he's proving that day in day out and that goes to show that hard work does pay off.
"It doesn't matter about your level - how you feel physically. You put in the work and you will see the rewards afterwards and I feel that he is doing that really well.
"We do not know how many more years he's going to play but he's making every moment that he steps onto the court count.
"He definitely has a very strong character and I feel that he is mentally very, very tough. He won two Olympic gold medals in a row, he won the US Open and he won Wimbledon twice.
"Being a Brit and winning Wimbledon is huge. It's very tough for a lot of players to succeed and to play well in their own country and he did that and it just kind of fuelled that fire."
Should the Scot continue his resurgence, then a place in the top 32 would earn him a seeded place at Wimbledon. Puig believes that Murray’s previous success at Wimbledon will serve as extra motivation to claim a third title at the All England Club.
"Murray's won Wimbledon before. He has that on his side," she added. "The Brits tend to do very well on their own turf.
"A lot of people do not like the grass. I've heard it thousands of times before - 'I do not like playing on this surface,' because it's very hard and there are not a lot of warm-up events beforehand. In order for you to really get into your rhythm you need to adapt and you need time on a surface, but grass just does not give you that.
"That's one of the advantages he has and it's also an advantage that points are not as long as on a hardcourt or a claycourt so he can make those shorter points count. He looks comfortable coming into the net and he knows what to do.
“Yes, he can be a force to be reckoned with."
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