London 2012 Olympics: Andy Murray in medal hunt with Djokovic up next

THE first goal has been achieved: Andy Murray is in the mix for the medals. Whatever happens today, win or lose to Novak Djokovic, the Scot will be back at Wimbledon on Sunday, vying for a medal.

The colour of that gong depends on how he deals with Djokovic. If he loses, he will go to the bronze medal play-off. If he wins, he is through to the final and the gold medal is there to play for. It is no wonder, then, that the crowd are whipping themselves into a frenzy every time the Scot steps on court.

Murray, meanwhile, is keeping calm and is quietly and carefully going about his business in SW19. It was very nice of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to come and watch him play

yesterday – and join in happily with the Mexican Wave – but Murray was keeping his head down and focusing on his 59-minute 6-4, 6-1 demolition of Nicolas Almagro.

The Spaniard has been struggling with a shoulder injury for the past couple of months, but no matter how much it hurt, he was not going to miss the chance to play in the Olympics. Yet no amount of mind-over-matter was going to make the problem go away and by the end of the first set, he needed help from the trainer. By midway through the second set, it was obvious that he was physically not up to the task of taking on the world No 4 with his eyes fixed on a medal.

“It was good,” Murray said. “I served well. From my side of the court, I played solid on serve. In the second set, he was struggling with his serve. He obviously had a problem with his shoulder so it was much easier for me to return. From my side, it was good and important that I got off the court quickly.”

Murray did most things well. After his scare against Marcos Baghdatis on Wednesday, he made sure there were no slow starts or mental lapses.

He served well – 15 aces and only four points dropped on serve – and he clattered his forehand as he notched up 29 winners and only seven errors. It was the perfect way to put himself into medal contention.

“It’s great,” he said calmly. “That was the goal coming into the tournament. It’s nice to get the opportunity. If I win one of the next two matches, I’ll give myself a shot at the medal. Obviously winning the first one is the most important thing just now. It’s going to be a tough match against Novak. I need to be ready for it. But, yeah, it’s very exciting.”

Djokovic, the 6-1, 7-5 winner over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, has an 8-5 winning record over the Scot and a 2-1 lead over him this year, including their five-hour epic Australian Open semi-final at the start of the year. Murray’s only win this year came in Dubai when he wore the Serb down, extending the rallies and forcing Djokovic into errors.

That, though, was on a hard court; this is their first meeting on grass.

“Definitely he’s been playing well and he’s going to have a big support from the crowd,” Djokovic said. “That’s something that is expected. He’s been I think as close as ever to win his first grand slam trophy just a couple weeks ago [at Wimbledon]. So, he’s motivated as much as I am to win that match.

“He’s a home favourite, a hero, somebody that carries the tennis in Great Britain. The whole nation will be watching and hoping he can get to the final and win a medal for his country. I will try to focus on every point, focus on my game. Obviously I will have to play on top of my game in order to have a chance to win.”

Born just a week apart, Murray and Djokovic have grown up together on the tennis circuit. There are no secrets: they both know the other’s game inside out. Today’s match will come down to who can handle the moment better. In that respect, Djokovic ought to be the favourite, having had the experience of leading Serbia to victory in the Davis Cup in Belgrade two years ago. Then again, Murray will be the crowd’s darling and if he can make a good start and get the crowd fired up, Djokovic may feel the pressure. But, whatever happens, Murray will still be in the medal hunt and that is an achievement in itself.

In the women’s tournament, Serena Williams will face world No.1 Victoria Azarenka in the semi-finals after the Wimbledon champion destroyed Caroline Wozniacki’s hopes on Court One.

Williams had not lost a set going into today’s clash against Wozniacki, and looked in supreme form again, humiliating the former world number one in the first set before wrapping up a 6-0, 6-3 win.

The American, a two-time Olympic doubles champion with her sister Venus, will be guaranteed her first Olympic medal in the singles if she beats top seed Azarenka today.

Azarenka had to battle much harder to book her place in the last four as she edged past seventh seed Angelique Kerber from Germany on Court One. Both players struggled to hold serve throughout as the Belarus player registered a narrow 6-4 7-5 win.