2017 Wimbledon Championships brings few interesting things to the table. Having the world no. 1 seat at stake is just one of the matters. Stan Wawrinka went away in yesterday's biggest shock thus settling the tension down a bit. For the defending champion and the current top spot holder, Andy Murray, things are far from being over. An early crash in Queen's cast an even darker shadow over his future as the world no. 1.
Moreover, Rafael Nadal will try to cash in as the Spaniard will parade free of any charges for the remaining part of the season.
If Murray wants to survive at the top he must win this Wimbledon. He had the opening round match earlier today and scored a compelling victory against a low-ranked opponent.
The small steps' policy could help Murray to overcome any future challenge
It's not easy to be the defending champion of an event of such magnitude. This year, Wimbledon celebrates its 140th anniversary which adds something special to the show. The opening round put Murray against Alexander Bublik (135 ATP).
Having no previous common record Murray stormed past the Kazakh in straights sets. The first act saw Murray surging as he capped the set by 6-1. The second part followed a similar pattern even though Murray was on the verge of choking while serving for the set at 5-4 in his favor.
His opponent failed to convert at leat one of those three consecutive break points allowing Murray to put the set in his pocket. The third set brought nothing new except for the rain who shortly tormented the contest. In the end, it was a compelling victory for Murray who is now 6 steps away from successfully defend Wimbledon title.
In the next phase, he will face Dustin Brown, the showman whose favorite surface is grass. Despite being a low-ranked player constantly roaming around the 100th spot, he is a dangerous type of player, especially on this surface.
Andy Murray's quarter with no big upset yet
Andy Murray shares a highly competitive draw with several big names.
Except for Nick Kyrgios who was forced to withdraw due to a hip injury all other seeded players made it through the opening round. One by one, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Sam Querrey booked themselves a spot in the next round. Regarding Tsonga, Murray could face him in the quarterfinals the same as last year. Back in 2016, Murray needed 5 sets to get past the Frenchman.
So far, in 2017, Andy Murray has a 21-9 win/loss record which is far from any comfort zone. And the hardest part has just started with Wimbledon being the first in a long string of titles that he should keep in the safe zone.
