Meet the ultimate rival to Federer

Published on Tuesday 20 November 2007 00:47

HE'S the fictional tennis player that the ATP believes would prove invincible. He's got Andy Murray's brain - not to mention the Scot's distinctive curly locks - Roger Federer's hand-eye co- ordination, Andy Roddick's blistering serve and Richard Gasquet's stylish back-hand.

The ATP, working with the University of Central Lancashire, revealed yesterday that it came up with the idea of creating this 6ft 5ins bionic player to see if it was possible to have a more complete game than world No 1 Federer, who defended his Masters Cup title in impressive fashion in Shanghai on Sunday.

After piecing together the best attributes of the top players in the world to make 'the ultimate tennis player', former British No 1 Andrew Castle and university lecturer Dr David Fewtrell concluded that the superhuman performer would be a rival for the dominant Swiss.

"Imagine facing the ultimate player," said former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash. "The power of [Rafael] Nadal mixed with the speed of [Novak] Djokovic and the hand-eye co-ordination of Federer. It's a scary prospect, and I wouldn't like to be on the opposite side of the net to this guy!"

The presence of Murray - who is No 11 in the ATP rankings and hit the headlines last week after splitting with his coach, Brad Gilbert - is a further sign that the current British No 1 is considered one of the world's best players.

"With Nadal's legs for speed, Djokovic's feet for agility and Murray's brain for his tactics, this player would be unbeatable," explained Castle. "I strongly believe Andy Murray has the talent to be Britain's top player of all time. I have rarely seen anyone who wants to win more or lose less and he has the game to back it up."

As well as Murray's curly hair, the bionic player has Federer's eyes, Roddick's shoulders and Fernando Gonzalez's arms. He weighs in at over 200lbs and can serve at a ferocious 155mph.

The ATP’s bionic tennis player, above, would prove more than a match for World No 1 Roger Federer