Andy Murray had a confident start to the defence of his Wimbledon title with a straight-sets win over David Goffin on Centre Court after receiving a wonderful reception from the fans on his return as the champion.
It was the first match with Amelie Mauresmo, his new coach, at the Championships. If I’d had to pick a female coach during my playing career, then it would have been Steffi Graf. She is amazing, one of the best of all time, and a great worker on the practice court. I have seen her hitting with Andre Agassi, her husband, and that wonderful forehand is still a special shot. Maybe it would have made a difference to my tennis to have her as my coach but it’s too late now to find out.
When I was playing, I didn’t take too much notice of what was happening in the women’s part of the tournament but maybe that will change for me now that I am here as a coach.
The only time I really looked at a women’s match score was when I was next on court and needed to work out how much longer they were likely to be playing!
That might sound strange but with so many things to concentrate on during a tournament, it is a normal attitude to focus on your own match and opponent. You cannot afford to be distracted by anything during a Slam and that is something I talk about with Marin Cilic.
Serena Williams, however, is one player you always watch because she is one of the greatest-ever players. It is fun to follow her matches and I would buy a ticket to one of her games. Serena hits the ball harder than some male players, her serve is over 120mph.
Famous Wimbledon Moments
When Serena is on form she is the best player out there in the women’s game and that is why it is easy to pick her as the one to win the title this year.
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