"He's still making big strides in his game, I'm sure he can bounce back pretty rapidly"- Tim Henman on Andy Murray's early AO exit
Tim Henman believes Andy Murray is "making big strides" towards finding his best tennis despite struggling to consistently post strong results. The Brit feels Murray's game has improved in many ways since his return from injury, and pointed out that his movement is sharper than before.
Murray, a former World No. 1, competed at the Australian Open this month for the first time in three years, but lost to Japan's Taro Daniel in straight sets in the second round. The three-time Slam champion was tipped to make a deep run, considering the fact that he had reached the final of the Sydney Classic in the lead-up to the Melbourne Major.
Following the loss, Murray cast doubt over his future in the sport, saying second-round appearances at big tournaments were not what motivated him to make his comeback from hip surgery.
In a recent interview with Eurosport, Tim Henman said Murray was on the right path and that the results would come in due course.
“I think he’s still making big strides in his game. With the hip surgery that he’s had, the amount of tennis that he’s missed over the last three and a half to four years has been massive,” said Henman.
“Now he’s starting to build consistently, he might not always be having the results that he wishes and then the expectations that he’s got. But for me, the important element is that he’s not having interruptions to his training, to his tournament schedule," added the former British player.
Henman further emphasized that Murray can bounce back from his latest setback.
“This is a long year and to have already been in a final [the Sydney Classic], he’s played plenty of tennis, he’s got matches under his belt, I’m sure he can bounce back from this pretty rapidly," stated Henman.
“I think when you reflect on some of his matches, last year in the Slams, he won a couple of amazing matches at Wimbledon, had an incredible match against [Stefanos] Tsitsipas at the US Open. I think his game has developed a lot more, I think his fitness is better, I think his movement is sharper," added the former World No. 4.
Tim Henman feels Andy Murray will have a "good run" at Wimbledon
Asked where Andy Murray could make a deep run this year, Henman was quick to name Wimbledon. According to the Brit, Murray feels very "comfortable" on grass.
“Where is it most likely to happen? I think the reality is probably Wimbledon. I think grass is a surface that he’s very comfortable on," said Henman.
“He has the experience of playing great tennis [there], having won there twice and also the support of the crowd so I think if he’s going to have a good run in a Grand Slam in 2022, it’ll probably be at Wimbledon," concluded the 47-year-old.
Murray has won two out of his three Majors at Wimbledon and enjoys a whopping 84% win percentage at the Grand Slam. He reached the third round last year, before losing in straight sets to Denis Shapovalov.