London Olympics: Murray will receive tough competition by Baghdatis in the third round – Tennis News
British number one, Andy Murray, is looking forward to beat Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus in the third round of the London Olympics. The history of the Wimbledon Championships is expected to repeats itself on the Great Games,
as the two will meet each other in the same round and in the same courts of All-England-Clubs. The world number four previously defeated Baghdatis with a smashing score of 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1.
The 25-year-old is in perfect condition for the tournament. He was the finalist of the Wimbledon but lost at the hands of the reigning champion, Roger Federer. The Brit has the greatest home advantage over all the other players.
For the initial rounds of the London Olympics, Murray won a straight set victory against the Swiss number two Stanislas Wawrinka and Jarkko Nieminen of Finland.
Analysing the performance of Baghdatis, it shows that the player is also in good form to beat the odds. His performance this year has tremendously improved after the Wimbledon, as he played more vigilantly in the earlier
rounds of the tournament. The 45th ranked Cypriot defeated Richard Gasquet in a straight set victory in the second round of the Olympics.
Both the players are tied at 4-4 in the head-to-head score. In a press conference Murray said, “Certainly won’t be taking anything for granted there. It is going to be a very, very tough match. He is a very, very good grass
court player.”
Currently, tremendous pressure mounts on Murray’s shoulders. The 25-year-old is the number one British star who contested for the Wimbledon title for Great Britain after 1936. Therefore, he carries a great burden of expectations
while playing in his home ground. In another press conference the Brit said, "It can be tough if you're not used to it. Because of Wimbledon, I've had a decent amount of experience dealing with it, but it's not easy, and for a lot of athletes this is an once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity.”
The young Scot, however, seems hopeful and focuses on securing the gold medal this year. He has never won a Major tournament in his career; nevertheless, the player possesses the potential to beat the odds like Federer and
Djokovic, the favourite contenders of gold medal.
On the other hand, the 27-year-old Baghdatis has proactive game play and agile footwork in contest. In the past, he has lost his momentum dropping his rankings to 45th. Hence, the victory over the
Brit in the next match is very critical for him in order to improve the world charts but also to gain his top-10 spot and mark a classic end to his tennis career.
Indeed, it will be one of the most exciting matches of the Olympic Games, with both players have an equal opportunity to upset the other and mark and emphatic lead in their all-time scores.
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