Wimbledon 2023: Jamie Murray column on British interest in SW19 and achieving his biggest career goal

1 year ago 24

Jamie Murray column

Seven-time large doubles champion Jamie Murray is backmost arsenic a BBC Sport columnist implicit the Wimbledon fortnight.

Before his opening match, the 37-year-old Scot discusses however British players indispensable grasp the accidental fixed to them by wildcards astatine the All England Club.

Wimbledon is ever the fortnight of the play wherever British tennis has the biggest accidental to showcase the endowment we have.

The singles receives astir of the attention, obviously, but the Championships besides supply a immense level for the players successful the doubles, juniors and wheelchair players to marque a sanction for themselves with the wider public.

If I'm a wide tennis instrumentality from the UK, I privation to crook connected my TV - oregon spell to Wimbledon - to ticker the stars, of course. But I besides privation to spot section players I tin get behind.

For the British nationalist and for Wimbledon, it would beryllium bully to spot tons of antithetic players winning matches and going acold to support involvement successful the tourney precocious crossed the nation.

Hopefully that volition happen. There is simply a antithetic consciousness astir the tourney erstwhile you person that location interest.

Six British players won successful the archetypal circular of the singles - my member Andy, Cam Norrie, Liam Broady, Jodie Burrage, Jan Choinski and Katie Boulter - and hopefully determination volition beryllium galore much wins to travel crossed each the events.

This twelvemonth determination has again been a batch of statement astir the authorities of British game, with lone a fistful of singles players ranked successful the world's apical 100 and a clump of wildcards being handed retired for Wimbledon.

By giving retired the wildcards for Wimbledon, you would anticipation it would animate players to enactment their butts disconnected and gain their close to play regularly astatine this level of events.

To get the accidental to play astatine Wimbledon should beryllium inspiring to anyone who competes here.

With the wealth they get for playing successful the archetypal round, the players should beryllium taking that wealth and furthering their vocation by investing successful themselves.

Tennis is an costly sport.

The wealth the British players gain astatine Wimbledon should assistance them money the adjacent twelvemonth of their vocation and the mode the LTA is supporting them with wildcards is different signifier of backing their careers.

Katie Boulter celebrates beating Daria Saville

Next twelvemonth it would beryllium bully if much players are competing successful the main gully without a 'WC' adjacent to their name.

There are galore ways to look astatine what constitutes the wellness of the British game.

Is it the fig of Grand Slam champions?

Is it the magnitude of players successful the apical 100, 200, oregon 250 of the rankings?

Or is it astir increasing information crossed the country?

Obviously it would beryllium astonishing to person each 3 of those things.

For a agelong time, and peculiarly erstwhile Andy was astatine the precise apical of the game, France looked astatine Britain and were jealous successful a way.

Britain had this superstar who was competing for Grand Slam singles titles and winning them, portion their hold for a large champion - which is peculiarly agelong connected the men's broadside - continues.

But past we would look astatine France and beryllium jealous of them due to the fact that of however galore players they had successful the apical 100s and nevertheless galore much successful the apical 200s oregon 250s. We'd deliberation 'that's astonishing they've got truthful galore players ranked truthful high'.

Clearly it is precise hard to make Grand Slam champions.

But I don't spot however it shouldn't beryllium a anticipation that Britain has a batch much players astatine a higher level - i.e. nonstop acceptances into the main draws astatine the Grand Slams - fixed each the backing the governing assemblage gets from Wimbledon.

I don't deliberation that should beryllium excessively unattainable.

The deficiency of extent astatine the apical is not an contented we've conscionable had this year, oregon 2 years ago, oregon 5 years go. It's been going connected for 15 oregon 20 years.

That's what frustrates a batch of radical who are successful the show extremity of the crippled successful this country.

'Maybe I've got 3 oregon 4 shots near to triumph Wimbledon'

Winning the Wimbledon men's doubles rubric remains the biggest extremity implicit the remainder of my career.

Each twelvemonth that passes it is 1 little opportunity. I'm 37 present truthful possibly I've got 3 oregon 4 much shots - who knows.

You privation to marque the astir of the accidental and bash arsenic good arsenic you perchance can. The extremity for maine and my playing spouse Michael Venus is to triumph the trophy. That's what we volition beryllium shooting for.

The men's doubles is my breadstuff and butter, my day-to-day career.

It was peculiar to doubly triumph the mixed doubles titles astatine Wimbledon but the men's doubles is my vocation and that's wherefore it would beryllium a overmuch bigger woody for maine to triumph that trophy.

Jamie Murray and Michael Venus observe winning the ATP rubric successful Banja Luka

Michael and I tin beryllium considered arsenic contenders, I think.

We're seeded 13th and we've won a tonne of matches this year, we've won 3 titles astatine ATP 250 events.

We haven't needfully had a large effect successful a Masters, but we person reached the quarter-finals successful 3 of the 5 Masters truthful far.

We've fto a fewer opportunities to spell heavy successful these tournaments gaffe by but I consciousness we're owed a large result.

We cognize we tin vie astatine the highest level and cognize were a bully squad - present we've got to spell retired and amusement it from archetypal constituent until last.

Let's anticipation that it is present astatine Wimbledon.

Jamie Murray was speaking to BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko astatine Wimbledon.

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