‘Favourite’ Andy Murray faces different kind of pressure against Milos Raonic in Wimbledon final

After 12 years and 44 Grand Slam tournaments, Andy Murray is finally the favourite to win a Grand Slam final. Murray made his Wimbledon debut back in 2005. Since then he has made 10 finals in the majors but in every single one of them he has found himself across the net against either Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic. No surprise then that he’s won just two of those matches, having lost to Roger three times and Novak five. Come this Sunday at SW19 though, Murray, the second seed, will take the court as the man to beat against Canadian Milos Raonic, the sixth seed. It will be a new kind of pressure for Murray, who has always been the underdog, especially with Raonic playing the best tennis of his life. [caption id=“attachment_2883636” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Andy Murray in action against Tomas Berdych in Wimbledon 2016 semis. Getty[/caption] It has been Murray’s misfortune to have his career overlap with three of the greatest players of any era, let alone his, in Federer, Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. That he has still broken through despite this barrier is something few can claim. Over the last decade, only two players have won multiple Grand Slams outside of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. Murray is one, Stan Wawrinka the other. In the year of Djokovic, it has been easy to overlook that Murray has been playing perhaps the best tennis of his career. Wimbledon is his third consecutive Grand Slam final, only the second time in his career he has done that and the first time he has done it in a calendar year. To win a second Wimbledon would be just reward for the effort Murray puts in on court. With Nadal hobbled by injury, nobody on tour runs down more balls or chases more lost causes than Murray. It may be a cliché, but Murray is the epitome of the dogged British Bulldog. He will have the crowd in his corner, of course. The big question is how he will handle the pressure if he falls behind against Raonic or struggles after getting ahead, as he did against Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in the quarter-finals. Having taken a two-sets to love lead, Murray suddenly found himself in a dogfight as Tsonga won the next two to level the match. Murray was able to pull out of that slide though, jabbing the side of his head with his finger and saying: “I am not going to lose this match,” after winning the first game of the fifth set. The weight of a final is altogether different though and he will have to cope with the expectation that he will claim the trophy and not merely the hope of victory. At 29, Murray is also aware that his opportunities to win Grand Slam titles are limited. Tennis tends not to treat those players over 30 with much kindness. Even the great Federer has managed to win just one title – Wimbledon in 2012 - since turning 30. Combine being the favourite together with the ticking clock and it could cause Murray to tighten. Put those two together and it could cause Murray to tighten up if he gets into trouble against Raonic. That said, Ivan Lendl is back in Murray’s coaching box and Lendl knows a thing or two about the pressure of playing in big finals as the favourite. His presence alone seems to invigorate Murray and Lendl will reinforce having the right mental attitude. Raonic has arguably the best serve in tennis and neutralising it will be Murray’s first, and biggest, challenge. The match could well be a throwback to classic grass court contests between a big server and a dangerous returner. Murray beat Raonic in the final at Queen’s three weeks ago, coming back after losing the first set. He was also the only player to break Raonic’s serve in the tournament and those memories should serve him well. The pair also represents a potential changing of the guard. After a decade of dominance by the Big Three and then the Big Four, the wheel is slowly turning again. Should Raonic win, it will be a sign the next generation has arrived and is itching to take over. It is up to Murray this time, to man the barricades and repulse the invaders. Eventually the Big Four must give way, of course, the Wimbledon final will tell us whether that day is here or whether, with Djokovic and Murray at the helm instead of Federer and Nadal, it remains in the distance. It will also tell us just how well Murray handles the expectation that he is supposed to win the Championship for the first time in his career.