Oh yes, the pre-Wimbledon smack talk is ON!
Andy Murray, Sunday’s Queen’s Club champion, is feeling confident about his chances at SW19. Confident enough to take aim at 5-time Wimbledon champ, Roger Federer, during a Fred Perry modeling gig on Monday.
And no, it’s not “my logo is bigger than your logo”:
Here’s some of what Andy Murray told the press after showing off his new Wimbledon duds (quotes via The Daily Mail):
“Every time I have played against him (Federer) I have felt like I had a good chance to win and that my tactics have worked well. A lot of times he has been very frustrated playing against me and my style of game.”
“A lot of the times after I have beaten him (Federer) he has said negative things about my game. It doesn’t bother me. He doesn’t lose that often and it can be tough when you go into a press conference afterwards.”
Andy Murray enjoys a 6-2 head-to-head record against Federer, with Roger beating him in last year’s US Open final – their only meeting at a Major. Murray’s dominance over Federer in best-of-three matches has left the Swiss unimpressed. Here’s Roger’s typically underwhelmed appraisal of Murray’s game after losing to him in Dubai last year (via The Guardian):
“I don’t think he (Murray) has changed his game a whole lot since the first time I played him (in 2005) and I really thought he would have done. He is going to have to grind it very hard in the next few years if he is going to play this way. He stands way behind the court. You have to do a lot of running and he tends to wait for the mistakes of his opponent.”
“I gave him the mistakes (in the match) but overall, in a 15-year career, you want to look to win a point more often, rather than wait for the other guy to miss. Who knows, he might surprise us all.”
(Note to self, use the phrase “he/she might surprise us all” after giving someone a verbal bitch slap.)
Speaking of verbal jabs, Murray made it clear on Monday that he’s ready to take the fight all the way to the Supreme Court a.k.a. Centre Court, Wimbledon:
“I don’t think if someone beats you then you can criticise the way they have played. They have always won because they have done what they needed to do. I am sure Roger will use what happened at the US Open as an example of when we played in a Grand Slam. If we were to meet at Wimbledon then, for sure, our recent matches would have a bearing, I can take confidence from them.”
The Wimbledon draw ceremony takes place this Friday morning, and the relative positioning of Roger Federer and Andy Murray is certain to be the topic of the day (and the fortnight.)
Loading ...
