Murray v Nadal – Can Murray Break New Ground in the Australian Open Quarter Final?

Murray v Nadal is the match which has been on the cards ever since the draw for the Australian Open was made, and short of being the final, it has been the most anticipated one. Andy Murray, ranked 5th, is carrying the hopes of Great Britain on his shoulders, as he makes his first Australian Open Quarter Final appearance, and an encounter doesn’t come much tougher than playing against Spain’s Rafael Nadal. In many ways it is a shame that this is the Quarter Final and not the Semi or the Final itself, as it is likely to produce a classic.

Both players are capable of going on a winning the Grand Slam, but the difference is, that Nadal has been there before many times before, whereas Murray is looking for his first Grand Slam title. The players are no strangers to each other, and have a good healthy respect for their tennis compatriots. History doesn’t back the Scot though, as out of nine encounters between the two players, Murray has only triumphed twice over the former World Number One. The Quarter Finals of the 2010 Australian Open though, will represent his best chance to redress some of that balance, and beat Nadal for the first  time in two matches.

Ahead of the Australian Open, there was a lot of speculation over how ready Nadal would be. He struggled through his warm up tournament, and critics were wondering if he really was back to his full sharpness after struggling through the second half of last season with injury. Murray on the other hand had a great warm up tournament in the Hopman Cup, playing plenty of matches, and he has carried his form through the early stages of the Australian Open. Murray has yet to drop a set, and has looked very confident out on the court, dealing with opponents of differing skills sets. He has dealt easily enough with play from the back of the court, and from having big serves thrown down his neck.

Murray is regarded as being one of the best returners of serve in the game, but there were concerns highlighted over his first serve. Although that hasn’t phased him yet, he will need to keep his first serve percentage up towards 70% to make life easier against Nadal. Nadal is the Australian Open title holder, and will of course be keen to cling onto his crown. Even the Spaniard recognises that it is has been hard work in his quest to get back to Number One in the world, as he has only won one of his last eleven matches against opponents ranked in the World Top ten. A year ago, when Nadal was on his way to winning the Australian Open, that would simply have been unthinkable.

Set the early morning clocks to 8.30 am to catch Murray in action. If you can’t get to a TV then Bet365 will see that you are alright. They are streaming live action from Melbourne, and it is the perfect chance to watch the match and enjoy the thrills of Live In-Play Betting. Bet365 is the perfect place, and for new customers funding their accounts, you can be rewarded with Bet365’s 100% deposit bonus. When you make your first deposit of a minimum £10, the online bookmaker will match your deposit, up to the incredibly generous amount of £100. That means you’ll be able to employ some free betting on Murray’s big match, thanks to the open-handedness of Bet365, which is why there are one of the best online bookmakers around.

Can Murray really carry the flag for Britain and win the Australian Open? With either Andy Roddick of Marin Cilic away in the semi final, if the super Scot can overcome the massive hurdle of Nadal, then it will back up his confidence that he has the ability to be the best there is. Murray is moving well, returning serve well, playing with some invention and that could carry him through the challenge. He will have his specific tactics up his sleeve, which will work towards negating some of the threat which Nadal can pose. It is times like this which can define greatness in a player. Nadal is still Ranked Number Two in the world, and that says a lot about the man after all of his troubles last season. Hopefully this will produce a thrilling classic in the evening’s big highlight match in Melbourne.

Murray to win: 13/15 at Bwin
Nadal to win: 11/10 at Boylesports