Andy Murray ready for Wimbledon!

Andy Murray begins defence with Amelie Mauresmo in his corner

Andy Murray’s audacious move to appoint Amelie Mauresmo as his coach faces its first test of reckoning on Monday when the Scot steps onto the turf of Centre Court as a defending Wimbledon Champion for the first time.

Since the announcement of the Scot hiring the 2006 Ladies’ Singles Champion during last month’s French Open, huge interest has centred on how the trial partnership would pan out.
The Frenchwoman returns as a defending champion of sorts herself. She was called in to Marion Bartoli’s camp and helped guide her countrywoman to an unlikely Wimbledon triumph last year.
And while not renowned as a heavyweight in handling the weight of expectations on home soil, Mauresmo knows what it is like to step onto Wimbledon’s Centre Court as a defending champion.
“I think tomorrow when I sort of go out on the court, I need to enjoy that moment when I walk back on the court. But as soon as I start playing the match, yeah, it's about trying to win,” Murray said. “I'm aware when I walk out on the court tomorrow I'm going to be nervous. I know there's going to be pressure. Yeah, that's why today when I woke up there's butterflies there. You're one day away from starting the tournament.”

Despite his Queen’s Club title defence on the eve of The Championships hitting a snag against veteran Czech Radek Stepanek in his first match on the grass this season, the Murray-Mauresmo camp was not losing sleep over the setback.

Murray was adamant the former women’s No.1 had a better understanding of the psychological elements of the game, in part due to her own struggles. She was, after all, not brought in to fine-tune the technical aspect of his game.

“I think she was someone who struggled with nerves and conquered them later in her career, which I think when you start to coach someone, I think you can help more than someone that hasn't had those issues before,” Murray said. “She understands the psychological part of the game maybe more than some because of that. And in terms of what she's like, her game style, she had quite a creative game style. She used a lot of spins, slices, she came to the net, good variety in her game. That's something that I've always tried to use during my career. So I think she can help with that.
“And then in terms of what she's like as a person, she's a very, very nice person. She's very easy to speak to. She's very easy to communicate with. She listens well. She's firm, as well.”
Murray’s 2014 comeback from back surgery has been steady if not extraordinary. He has not beaten a player in the top 10 this year, with only one top 20 scalp to his name, but will be buoyed in part by a run to the semi-finals at Roland Garros, typically his weakest of the four majors.
Wimbledon is the slam where the world No.5 feels most comfortable. He has reached the semi-finals or better for the past five years and has arguably the most favourable draw of the top four seeds. He opens his defence against David Goffin and has not left his homework on the bus when getting an understanding of the Belgian’s credentials.

“He's played some very good tennis on the big stages before. I think he played Roger [Federer] a few years ago at the French Open and pushed him close in four sets. I think he also played Novak [Djokovic] in one of the slams on the hard courts before and had a tight three-set match with him,” Murray said. “He's a solid player in all parts of the court. It will be a tricky match.”
Murray will receive a welcome unlike any he has experienced on the opening day at Wimbledon on Monday and his teaming with Mauresmo enters new territory. Both arrive having tasted Wimbledon success last year. It is up to Murray whether both will taste that success again.

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10 things you should know about Wimbledon and its traditions

Wimbledon and its traditions

As compared to the other Grand Slams-Australian, French and US Open, Wimbledon has a unique name and tradition associated with it. Here are 10 interesting facts about the lawn-tennis tournament.
Almost all tennis players have a dream of playing on Wimbledon's Centre Court and winning the trophy there. Here's probably why they harbour this ambition:

10 Wimbledon facts

1. Wimbledon is the is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and has been played since 1877. It is considered to be the most prestigious of all the four Grand Slams.
2. This is the only tournament that is still played on the sport's original surface-grass. Earlier, the Australian Open and US Open that are played on hard court now and French Open that is played on clay were played on grass. Hence, tennis is called lawn tennis.
3. Player have to strictly wear white at the tournament. The rules state, "No solid mass of colouring; little or no dark or bold colours; no fluorescent colours; preference towards pastel colours...and all other items of clothing including hats, socks and shoes to be almost entirely white."Roger Federer who sported orange soles to his shoes during his first round match was pulled up by the organisers as they saw the shoes as flouting the rules. This shows how strict the organisers are about the all-white apparel rule.
4. Spectators and players are offered strawberries and cream as the typical stand food at the tournament. The New York Times reported that a librarian for the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum once told them that the strawberries date back to the first Wimbledon tournament in 1877. She said strawberries and tennis both signalled the arrival of summer.
5. Players are referred to as Mr, Miss and Mrs as per their marital status especially in the case of women. For men, the chair umpires sometimes just say their names instead of Mr. But using Miss for all female players is still practised today at Wimbledon.
6. At Wimbledon, the ball boys and girls are known as BBGs and play a crucial role in the smooth running of the tournament, with a brief that a good BBG "should not be seen. They should blend into the background and get on with their jobs quietly."Since 2005, BBGs work in teams of six, two at the net, four at the corners, and teams rotate one hour on court, one hour off for the day's play. Teams are not told which court they will be on so as to ensure the same standards across all courts.
7. The Centre Court has survived a War World II bombing and now boasts of a roof that prevents rain delays from causing scheduling problems during the tournament.
8. This is the only Grand Slam which is patronised by a Royal Family. The Queen of Britain often visits Wimbledon and meets the players. The Royal Family seated in the Royal Box and players earlier had to courtesy al members of the family. But the tradition has been discontinued since 2003 by the Duke of Kent who is the President of the All England Club. Now only if the monarch or the Prince of Wales are present, players are expected to courtesy them.
9. Wimbledon does not have any sponsor advertising around its courts.
10. The tournament has a 'day of rest'. The middle Sunday of the Wimbledon fortnight is always a day off.

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Roland Garros Increases Player Prize Money for 2014

Prize money pool Roland Garros rises to £20.6m

 

Ahead of the second Grand Slam of the year, the French tennis federation (FFT) has confirmed a €3 million increase in prize money, with the winner of the Coupe des Mousquetaires and Coupe Suzanne Lenglen taking home €150,000 more than 2013 champions Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams.

 

However, the biggest pay increases come for those falling in the earlier rounds in Paris. Players who are beaten in the second round will take home €42,000 and third round losers will pick up €72,000, an increase of 20 percent, while those who fall in the fourth round will see a 25% increase with a cheque for €125,000. The FFT added that the men's and women's champions would benefit from a 10% rise in earnings, each banking €1.65m for winning the singles titles in Paris.

"This noticeable progression of the Roland Garros prize money is part of the four-year plan for the 2013-16 period," tournament director and FFT general director Gilbert Ysern said in a statement. 

 

Price money pool other Grand Slams

In comparison, Australian Open has increased their 2014 prize money to $33 US dollars which is not almost on par with Wimbledon and US Open. All the grand slams are in competition of their own as to become the highest paying grand slam which will attract players interest more as well as the crowd and US Open authorties has made a plan to increase the US Open grand slam total prize money to $50 Million in the next few years.

 

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