Andy Murray must start belligerently against Nicolas Almagro in the quarter-finals – Olympics 2012
British number one, Andy Murray, might not ace in his next clash against Nicolas Almagro if he continues taking off in a sloppy fashion. The third seed Brit is about to face Almagro in the quarterfinal of the London Olympics
at the All England Club on the eve of Thursday.
The British professional had to face tough competition in the earlier rounds. He had to wrestle against Marcos Baghdatis from being a set down in the match to eventually take a smashing lead of 4-6, 6-1, 6-4. In order to
maintain the outstanding hit list of victories, he needs to maintain his momentum from the very start, leaving no margin for error.
The 11th seeded Spaniard is considered to be the master of winning on clay-courts but his performance on the other playing surfaces has tremendously improved this year. Murray in a press conference
informed the media, "The reason why his ranking has gone into the top 10 is because he's been playing better on the other surfaces this year. He is a tough player. He takes many risks on the court. He does not have loads of variation but he can overpower you.
I will need to play well to win. If I serve like I did the last couple of sets that will help me out a lot."
The Scot is on tenterhooks in order to improve his game plan in the quarterfinals. He has a 2-1 head-to-head lead over the Spanish rival in the singles encounters. Nevertheless, he needs to keep a more proactive approach
at the start against his future competitors.
The British professional surely understands that Olympics are a tougher challenge as it has the best-of-three match format. If he loses his initial round, similar to what he did against Baghdatis, then it can lead him wobbling
on the edge. If luck does not favour him then he might have to suffer a shameful upset by Almagro.
He further added, "It's challenging because the match can be over quite quickly, especially in windy conditions where you're struggling to time”.
The 25-year-old has a tough schedule ahead as he is contesting for the mixed doubles this year as well. He will have to play seven matches in four days, if he is fortunate enough to qualify for the medal matches.
Consequently, it will be the greatest challenge for him to stay focused after losing the initial set and his Olympic medal dream would have been gone for good had he not been started the second set well against Baghdatis.
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