By Lee Dover | Wimbledon 2012
Now you may want to take a sit down before you start reading through this article, as it is all about how the Brits are leading the charge at Wimbledon 2012.
Wait, this is not just about how Andy Murray is on another one of his charges until he reaches the business end of the tournament, suffers a temper tantrum and then British fans have to wait another 12 months to wonder if a homegrown champion will be seen at SW19 again.
GREAT SCOT: Murray takes time out to catch raindrops in his mouth Picture: AFP/Getty Images
No, this time there is a whole group of British tennis stars who have avoided the dreaded pitfall of the first-round of Wimbledon and have reached the heights of round two and even round three – we told you it was a shocking article, one for the collection box.
Andy Murray has been leading the charge of the British barrage so far – he is the country’s number one, after all.
There were whispers that the Scot was going to struggle to get past former world number three Nikolay Davydenko. Someone must not have informed Murray of this scepticism though, as he thrashed the Russian 6-1, 6-1, 6-4.
Now that he has got the ball rolling at the All England Club, the Scot is now 1/25 with Paddy Power to slay the 6’10″ giant Ivo Karlovic and continue his march through Wimbledon 2012.
While Murray got the party started on Day 2 at Wimbledon, James Ward sent the crowds into a state of euphoria by slaying the Spanish dragon Pablo Andujar in a nail-biting five-set battle.
Murray can leave Mardy bummed
Paddy Power is now offering odds of 11/5 that the Brit can carry his momentum into today’s game against Mardy Fish and leave the Frenchman feeling, well, like a fish out of water.
Don’t think that the British men are having all the fun though. Heather Watson’s excellent displays on court, which have seen the 20-year-old cruise into the third-round of Wimbledon, seem to have sparked renewed life into the British women’s tennis scene.
Over a few hours, fans watched in awe as Anne Keothavong breezed past Laura Pous-Tio in straight sets and Elena Baltacha powered through Karin Knapp. Heck, even Laura Robson fell gallantly by pushing former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone to the limit.
Murray is pleased to see a group following him through Wimbledon instead of going it alone with the weight of expectation solely on his shoulders.
The Scot noted: “It’s good any time the Brits do well in slams, it’s good for British tennis. It’s been a good tournament so far, let’s hope it continues.”
