• Chris Wilkinson

Murray poised to be the smiling assassin

Andy Murray is gearing up for another Wimbledon tilt © Getty Images

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The rain has disrupted the Test match at the Rose Bowl this week, and after a beautiful spring the typical British summer weather is back just in time for Wimbledon.

After a glorious few days for British tennis last week, all eyes will be on Andy Murray after he became the first British player since 1926 to win multiple titles at Queen's, and he seems to be hitting form at just the right time.

He looked very impressive and what he did to Andy Roddick in the semi-finals was quite something. I actually think his current form can be pinned on a solid clay season - he was playing with a lot of freedom and it has clearly given him a lot of confidence. I think it is a bit early to say whether he is playing the best grass-court tennis of his life, but when he won Queen's in 2009 he got to the semi-finals at Wimbledon, and he is serving better than he was two years ago.

Murray is the subject of a huge amount of scrutiny at this stage of the season and his every move is analysed, but he is used to that now. For any British player at Wimbledon it is a high profile event but for Murray in particular because he is ranked No. 4 in the world and has been so successful, that level of pressure is even greater. But what I have noticed over the last few weeks is that Murray seems to be more chilled out than usual. He seemed a lot more relaxed around Queen's and even flashed the occasional smile.

Unfortunately for Murray, he is not alone in hitting form, and he is on a collision course with the big-guns at the All England Club. Roger Federer seems to be back to his best and the six-time champion will be a force to reckon with, while Novak Djokovic has lost just one match all year and has been the best player in the world this season. Add into the mix world No. 1 and reigning champion Rafael Nadal, who will be defending his title and his world No. 1 spot.

Nadal may be coming into Wimbledon on the back of defeat at Queen's, but the fact that he was even playing is the real achievement and just shows what a great professional he is. Having won his sixth French Open title on the Sunday, he was on the practice courts getting accustomed to the grass less than 24 hours later. A lot of players would have pulled out - Djokovic did, and Federer withdrew from Halle.

I don't think Nadal will be too concerned by his defeat to Tsonga. I think for him the important thing is to get a couple of matches under his belt - he lost last year to Feliciano Lopez before going on to win Wimbledon. Winning at Queen's will not be a major priority for him. In all honesty, it was probably the best possible outcome for him - he would not have wanted to hang around on Sunday with all the rain delays.

Roger Federer will be 30 later this year and he needs to pace himself and listen to his body. He has played a lot of tennis recently so I am not surprised he withdrew from Halle - he is at his best on grass and I wouldn't be concerned about lack of match practice - as far as he is concerned, being at peak fitness is more of an issue.

It is finely poised and all four top seeds have a genuine chance to claim the title in just over a fortnight's time. I would be a brave man to predict whose name will be on the trophy, but I cannot see beyond the big four. Juan Martin del Potro isn't that comfortable on grass, but he could still provide an early upset, and another player who could pull off a surprise or two is Milos Raonic - he reminds me a lot of Boris Becker when he first burst onto the scene - a big player with an explosive game - he will be one to watch. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is another one to keep your eye on - having reached the final at Queen's last week his game is well-suited to the grass and is a really exciting player to watch.

Serena Williams has been out of action for nearly a year © Getty Images

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As for the British hopes, James Ward had a fantastic week at Queen's last week and is a deserving recipient of a wildcard. He took full advantage of having had more grass court practice and had some victories over Stanislas Wawrinka and Sam Querrey. To a certain extent it was a case of him being in the right place at the right time, and he caught Wawrinka out who was clearly struggling to adjust to the grass. That said, he made the most of his opportunities and with a favourable draw he could be looking at getting to the third round at Wimbledon.

In the women's draw, two big names return as another misses out. Kim Clijsters is out but the Williams sisters are back - in Serena's case after nearly a year out. To be honest, I was pleased that Serena lost to Vera Zvonareva at Eastbourne this week. If Serena had come back after nearly a year out and beat the world No. 3 it wouldn't say much about the state of women's tennis.

Having nine of the last 11 Wimbledon titles between them, the Williams sisters will be contenders for the title, but I would have concerns over their fitness. But as with every grand slam over the last few years, the draw is wide open and any number of players could win.

Maria Sharapova will be a threat if she can stay fit, and Victoria Azarenka could be on course for her maiden grand slam. I don't think Caroline Wozniacki has the game to win a major though, but Li Na will be playing with added confidence. My dark horse? Petra Kvitova; but the German pair of Andrea Petkovic and Julia Goerges have had a pretty good year so far.

Chris Wilkinson is a former British No. 1

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