5 things about Andy Murray turning 30
Andy Murray celebrates his 30th birthday today.
The Scot reaches the milestone as world number one and a three-time grand slam champion.
Here, we pick out five notable things about Murray turning 30.
Age against him – or is it?
Of the last 56 grand slam tournaments, only four have been won by men in their 30s. The good news for Murray is that three of the last eight have had champions in their 30s, including the last two. Stan Wawrinka won the US Open aged 31 having previously won in Australia aged 30, while Roger Federer became the oldest slam champion in 45 years when he won the Australian Open in January aged 35. With no younger players yet looking ready to take over the mantle from the ‘big four’, expect the statistics to bend in favour of the older generation.
Holding on to number one
Murray achieved what many had considered the most unlikely of his major goals by ascending to the world number one ranking last year. At 29, he was the oldest man to top the standings for the first time since Australian John Newcombe in 1974. Murray is now into his 27th week as number one and has a lead of more than 4,000 points over Novak Djokovic. However, he has a huge amount of points to defend over the next couple of months and this year’s ‘race’ puts him only 11th, so there is a lot of work to do.
Mastering the Masters
Andy Murray (Steve Paston/PA)
Aside from winning the calendar Grand Slam – something no man has achieved since Rod Laver in 1969 – the big four have ticked off pretty much all of tennis’ landmark achievements. One that lies tantalisingly close is winning all the nine Masters 1000 events. Since the series was launched in 1990, no player has managed to lift the trophy at all of them. Djokovic is nearest having won eight, with Cincinnati the only one missing from his resume. But Murray could pip him by winning Indian Wells and Monte Carlo, while Federer is missing Monte Carlo and Rome.
Career Slam
The big goal for Murray before he retires will be to complete his personal set of grand slams by adding the Australian Open and French Open titles to his two Wimbledon wins and one US Open. By doing so he would be following in the footsteps of Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic, and it is certainly a realistic aim. If the Scot finishes his career without at least one title in Melbourne it would be a major disappointment having reached five finals so far, while his late flourishing on clay has also brought Roland Garros within reach.
Staying healthy
None of those things will be possible if Murray’s body gives out on him, and the final months of his 20s have been a little worrying. A bout of shingles followed by an elbow problem have badly disrupted Murray’s season so far, and his results have suffered. The world number one is renowned for working exceptionally hard away from the court, an approach that is supported and driven by his coach Ivan Lendl. But a brutal winter training camp after his exhausting end to 2016 is widely believed to have played a part in his struggles this season. Murray must think about his programme carefully if he is to maximise the years he has left.
