Exclusive – Greg Rusedski on Andy Murray's chances at Queen's after Wimbledon practice session
Greg Rusedski has spoken exclusively to RadioTimes.com about Andy Murray's chances at Queen's Club following a session at Wimbledon.
Greg Rusedski has offered his insight into Andy Murray's preparation for Queen's 2021 – known as the Cinch Championships – and his return to grass court tennis.
The former British star believes winning the tournament at Queen's would be a step too far for Murray, but would be "happy to eat my words" should he do so.
Rusedski, who is part of Amazon Prime Video's coverage of the championships, has been hitting balls on the hallowed turf alongside Murray and has a front-row view of his current state going into a hectic period.
He said: "I've been lucky enough the last few weeks, I've seen him practice at Wimbledon because I've been hitting a few balls down there. He's striking the ball beautifully.
"For me, it always comes down to movement, how's he moving? If he moves well, then he can win a few matches. If the movement isn't there, that's where the challenge is going to be.
"And the only way you know that is by playing competitive matches of where your speed is compared to the very, very best guys. I think we're going to learn a lot at Queen's Club.
"He has nothing more to prove in his career whatsoever. There's two Wimbledon Championships, US Open and gold medals in two Olympics in singles, ATP finals, World No.1.
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"Whenever he feels like it's time to hang up, he can do whatever he wants to do. And to me, it's all gonna come down to how well he can move on the court because he's mentally great, striking the ball beautifully, but it's just going to come down to movement, as we saw with [Roger] Federer."
Rusedski is hopeful for other British stars going into grass court season, and he considered whether Dan Evans – who toppled Novak Djokovic earlier in 2021 – could one day challenge for top honours.
He said: "Cam Norrie is having the season of his life, Dan Evans having the best season of his life, so I think there's certain players who've managed to play exceptionally well during this period.
"I think to win [a major] is something special. You saw with Tim Henman and myself, we didn't win one. I got to a final, Tim got to multiple semis.
"Then we had a guy by the name of Andy Murray who just managed to do it all – you know that that's a big, big thing. And that's a rare exception to get a player of that standard.
"I think for Dan, I see him maxing out around 10 in the world, which would be an exceptional performance. Can he go deep in the Slams? Quarters, semis? Yes, but to win one is a different kettle of fish because you've got to look at the likes of Novak Djokovic.
"To beat Novak at two or three sets is exceptional, but as we see three to five sets against Rafa, Novak, Federer, Andy Murray, guys like that. Not only do you have to beat them, but you have to beat two of those guys to win the event."
The Cinch Championships is available to watch on Prime Video from 14th June. If you’re looking for something else to watch check out our TV Guide or visit our Sport hub for all the latest news.
Authors
Michael Potts is the Sport Editor for Radio Times, covering all of the biggest sporting events across the globe with previews, features, interviews and more. He has worked for Radio Times since 2019 and previously worked on the sport desk at Express.co.uk after starting his career writing features for What Culture. He achieved a first-class degree in Sports Journalism in 2014.
