Latvian Ernests Gulbis is next up for Andy Murray at Wimbledon, and the World No.74 is confident about his chances, despite losing to the British No.1 twice this year.
Andy Murray opened up his Wimbledon campaign in decent fashion, beating a battling Robert Kendrick rather convincingly in four sets. The Scot now takes on Gulbis who will be a real test for the World No.3. The Latvian had soared to No.38 in the world, before dropping back down the rankings after physical training affected his game.
Speaking earlier, Gulbis sounded very confident about his chances of upsetting Murray:
‘I'm much better than I ever was, and I am hoping for a good result. I’m much tougher now and I’m getting my form back’ said Gulbis.
Andy Murray himself has stated that he needs to improve with every round, and that he will need to be near to his best to beat the dangerous Gulbis:
‘I've got a very tough opponent. Gulbis has caused some upsets in the past and is a huge hitter. I'm going to need to be on my game to beat him.’ said Murray who also declared that he was ‘pleased with his start’ in round one but admitted that he was ‘nothing close to his best’ against Robert Kendrick.
A stylish win over the talented Gulbis will bode well for Britain’s number one and will put him in real contention for the latter stages. The Latvian is a strong player on court and Murray will have to play ruthlessly to beat him, as many felt that he was not ruthless enough against Kendrick - although he believed enough in his ability to see off the American, and it may be simply a case of moving through the gears for Murray at Wimbledon this year.
Andy Murray and Ernests Gulbis will clash on Centre Court on June 25, and you can watch the action live at Bet 365.