Wimbledon: Andy Murray gets thumbs-up from Baker

JAMIE Baker is better placed than most to offer an opinion on Andy Murray’s physical welfare after hitting with his fellow Scot early yesterday afternoon, as the pair prepared for two very different challenges today.

Murray begins his seventh Wimbledon campaign on Centre Court today and is fully expected to deal with Nikolay Davydenko, the diminutive Russian who has spent the last few years tumbling down the rankings from his career high of No.3 in the world.

Baker, meanwhile, faces what he described as the game of his life, when he goes up against Andy Roddick on Court No.1. Both Scots are on third, so fans will likely face a choice of who to cheer on. Murray, Baker acknowledged, will grab most of the attention. Illness has cost Baker a lot in his career, including profile. But he and Murray will form a Scottish one-two later today, prolonging a partnership that began as childhood friends. Now Baker is honoured to fulfill the role of Murray’s favoured hitting partner, often under the watchful eye of Ivan Lendl.

Baker practised with Murray yesterday at Aorangi Park and bore witness to a player he described as being in excellent condition. This comes just days after Murray again felt the need to respond to critics who accuse him of hypochondria. He has even offered to produce pictures of his recent medical treatment, including one nasty-sounding procedure involving an eight-inch needle being thrust into his back.

He looked lively enough when playing against Baker yesterday and his opponent revealed that he had not mentioned his back once. Baker added that Murray is looking particularly comfortable now he is back at Wimbledon, later describing Grand Slams as “meat and drink” to his friend.

“His whole training schedule and make up as a person is for five set matches,” said Baker. “Yes, he has had some losses over three sets but he is a different animal when it comes to the longer matches at major events.”

“He’s always in great shape and always hits the ball an absolute dream in practice. I never read anything into his results leading up to a Grand Slam tournament because he has been so consistent at the slams for the past four or five years. For him that is what it is all about.”

“We arranged the practice a few days ago. Today was as relaxed as I have seen him in the last few weeks. But you can always tell when there is something big about to happen, it was the same for both of us.”

Murray’s time, he believes, will come, as so many fervently hope. “He has so much confidence in the bag and loads of experience, also physically for him he knows he is as good as anyone,” said the 25 year-old. “He is as fit as [Novak] Djokovic or [Rafa] Nadal.”

So impressed has Baker been with Murray’s fitness he has taken to following his diet guidelines. “Another benefit of spending time with Andy is that it has made me step up even more,” he added. “I have that exposure of what he is doing and I think it makes playing matches over three sets quite easy fitness wise. I have become much leaner and that is another influence of being around Andy.

“He is slightly obsessed with what he eats. He never eats any crap and he always makes sure he has the right fuel. He never ever lets that down.”

Djokovic, the defending champion, also had his say on the Murray-fitness issue yesterday, following his straight sets victory over Juan Carlos Ferrero. “It is hard to really make a judgment or say what is going on, if you really don’t know the exact nature of the injury and what degree he is hurt or not,” he said.

“I have known him for a long time, he is a great competitor,” added Djokovic. “He is a great fighter but has a lot of pressure and a lot of expectation.

“He’s just missing that extra step, maybe that little bit of confidence and self-belief on the important moments against the top players in the semi-finals of Grand Slams. Regarding the injuries, I went through that period in my life where people were questioning my injuries,” he added. “But I have never used an injury time-out to provoke my opponent. If I am hurt, I’m hurt. If something is wrong, then something is wrong. I believe that is the situation with him.”

As for Baker, he can look forward to a rare moment in the sun today, as he takes on Roddick, another hugely popular performer at Wimbledon by dint of two runner-up spots in 2009 and 2005. It is the first time Baker has ever met the Nebraskan, though Murray will have proved a helpful sounding board.

“This will definitely be the biggest match of my career, but I would rather try to think about that after the match,” said Baker, who is currently ranked at a career high of 186 in the world. “I feel as if I have a good chance if I get my teeth into the match and the only way to do that is to block all the other stuff out.

“The public probably don’t know anything about me. But this is the time when everybody watches tennis so hopefully I can do myself justice.”