By Erik Gudris | Sunday June 22, 2014

 

After ending his nation's wait for a UK men's champion, Andy Murray finds himself entering uncharted territory for himself and his country at this year's Wimbledon.

Photo Credit: Getty

"Murray Mania" will commence once again this summer in the United Kingdom. But will it be enough to soothe the disappointment of seeing their football team bow out earlier than expected at this year's World Cup?

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That's just one of the expectations being placed on defending champion Andy Murray at this year's Wimbledon. Of course, Murray has nothing to do with English football but don't tell that to the often overemotional UK media. In fact, the first question asked of Murray in his pre-event press conference was how he felt to have "to have the hopes of a despondent nation" placed on his shoulders after the team's loss.

Murray could only respond with just one word, "Wow."

No pressure, right? Or is there any pressure on Murray at all this time around? That's the question hanging over his head at this year's event. How will he feel entering this brand new situation for him and for his country?

Murray later answered the question by saying, "To be honest, I don't feel too much different than I did a few days ago. I'm here to try and win the tournament. That's it. My focus is solely on the first match, preparing properly for that."

Keeping focused on just playing tennis and not the overwhelming attention and off-court chatter is something Murray has dealt with each time he's played at his home Slam. But are local expectations higher on him now to repeat?

No British man has done that since, yes, you guessed it, Fred Perry back in 1936. Recent history doesn't seem to favor Murray either as no man has retained his Wimbledon title since Roger Federer in 2007. Add in that Murray has not won a tournament since the big one last year and one can understand why suddenly there's a lot of second and triple guessing of how Murray should go about his defense.

That scrutiny also includes his recent hiring of former Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo to be his new coach. While some applauded the move, others still don't get it. That includes another former Wimbledon winner in Virginia Wade who recently said she thought the announcement was a joke at first. Murray, based on his recent comments after the decision, shows he doesn't really care what people think about his new coaching partnership. How Mauresmo handles any off-court criticism could be intriguing to watch, considering it's likely she would get the blame for an early round Murray loss.

"I don't know how I'm going to handle the situation," Murray said to BBC Sport about he will feel as he steps out on to Centre Court on Monday as defending champion to face David Goffin in the first round. "Firstly my mind will be focused on the match, getting ready for it, getting the tactics right, but the walk to the court will be different. I would expect to feel pride but also pressure and some nerves as well. I'm looking forward to it, its something I've never experienced before."

It's something his fervent fans haven't either. Monday will be a celebration in some ways for both Murray and his country on last year's historic achievement. "He really did it!" some will think as they watch their own champion be the first to commence Centre Court matches on opening day for the first time in their lifetimes. It's very likely others will feel the same emotion of relief and happiness having seen Murray lift the trophy on that momentous final Sunday. They will applaud Murray's march on to the court but perhaps also think to themselves, "We really did it."

Murray has handled the swirl of national expectation placed on him each time this year with his usual trademark formula of dry wit off court and true grit on it. Will that combination serve him well this time as he enters uncharted territory for himself and the public? "Can he repeat as champion?" many want to know. Murray's own response to that question will soon be put to the test.

"If you've done it once, there is no reason you can't do it again."