The 2009 French Open provided for some great tennis as this great tournament always does. Though there was the much discussed and dissected early departure of Rafael Nadal and the finally realized victory for Roger Federer on the red clay, there have been some other subsequent events that should also be noted. Case in point is the rise of Scotsman, Andy Murray.
The quarterfinal loss of Andy Murray to Chilean, Fernando Gonzalez 6-3, 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 at this year’s French Open was an unexpected occurrence. Murray has been electrifying tennis courts around the world this year. His decisive win in January 2009 over Andy Roddick 6-4, 6-2 at the Exxon Mobil Qatar Open was merely his opening volley to his so far phenomenal season. Just after Valentine’s Day this year, Murray defeated that titan of tennis, Spaniard Rafael Nadal 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament. There is a caveat to this which must be noted; in the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament Nadal suffered an apparent injury to his right knee which reduced his legendary strength. This was followed in late March, early April by his crushing victory over Novak Djokovic in the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami 6-2, 7-5. And finally, Murray again tasted the sweetness of victory this past Saturday, June 13 in the AEGON Championships also known as the Queen’s Club with his 7-5, 6-4 defeat over American, James Blake. Murray has always been under a lot of pressure but the Queen’s Club was like a fishbowl as no British player (yes I realize he is Scottish) had won the prestigious tournament since Bunny Austin in 1938.
These great showings by Murray have propelled him to number three in the world. With a very similar grass surface the AEGON Championships are seen as a warm up for Wimbledon. With the qualifying rounds being held now, the main event begins in six days, on June 22nd and runs through July 5th. Murray’s best finish in a Grand Slam so far in his professional career has been a runner up finish in the 2008 U.S. Open. This year’s Wimbledon could very well see him hoist the winner’s silver gilt cup.
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