• Wimbledon

Nadal's uncle backs Murray to win Grand Slam

Rafael Nadal beat Andy Murray in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 2008 © Getty Images

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Andy Murray goes into his crunch semi-final clash against Rafael Nadal with the backing of an unlikely source - his opponent's coach and uncle Toni Nadal.

The Spanish star's mentor, the brother of former Spanish football star Miguel Angel Nadal, is a huge admirer of Murray's abilities and believes it is only a matter of time before he ends Britain's 74-year wait for a men's singles Grand Slam champion.

The world No. 1, who won his fifth French open title last month, was forced to retire from his quarter-final match against Murray at the Australian Open in January with a knee problem but his coach insists the 24-year-old is more worried about his opponent than the prospect of breaking down with injury again.

"Rafa's problem is not his knees, it is Murray - he is ready to win a Grand Slam," Nadal said. "He is one of the best players and the best players win tournaments like Wimbledon.

"Andy is well prepared physically and one of the most talented on the tour. He has a good serve, forehand and backhand and can play in lots of different ways. It will be a difficult match.

"Rafa is confident but it is a 50-50 game. The key is to play the big points well and not to make any mistakes on those big points. Rafa is physically fine and he's ready to play five sets, he doesn't need to try and shorten the rallies."

Nadal beat Murray in the quarter-finals in 2008 en route to claiming his only Wimbledon title and his coach believes he will have no problem dealing with the partisan support on Centre Court as he bids to reach his second Grand Slam final of the year.

"The crowd is not a problem, Rafa is used to playing at Roland Garros with the crowd against him and he has won five titles there," he said.

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