Not only that, but I’ve never seen him smile so much. This is a new, more mature, more contented Andy Murray this Wimbledon.
To get to new highs, of course, you often have to come through some pretty awful lows. Can it really be just a couple of months since he couldn’t take a set from giants of the game like Donald Young and Alex Bogomolov Jnr (who, curiously, meet each other here in an all-American, if not all-star, first-round match)? It took Murray a long time to get over the brutal disappointment of that thrashing from Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final.
And yet, recover he has – with some style. Monte Carlo, Rome and Paris witnessed a much-improved Murray on clay. It should have been Andy Murray in the eternal city, rather than Roger Federer in Paris, who ended Novak’s incredible winning streak.
Lest anyone doubts his desire to compete at this level, don’t forget he won a match on one leg at the French Open before limping gamely through to a competitive semi-final with the King of Roland Garros himself.
Rafa Nadal maintains that Murray is far too talented not to win a Grand Slam; a sentiment echoed here in SW19 by the game’s other current great, Roger Federer. And who are we to argue with legends such as they ?
The question is, can it happen over the next fortnight? Which begs another question – why not?
Murray clearly has the game for grass with his big serve, his all-court movement, his variety of shots and his ability to serve and volley when he wants to mix things up. The way he has bounced back from previous disappointment shows he is learning the temperament of a top tennis player.