Murray faces daunting route to belated grand slam glory
BRITAIN’S Andy Murray heads into the final leg of his French Open campaign with his path to a first grand slam blocked by two all-time greats and the man poised to break the record for the longest unbeaten run in the history of the sport.
Murray locks horns with Rafael Nadal in today’s first semi-final with the Spaniard still on course for a record-equalling sixth title at Roland Garros having won 43 of his last 44 matches at this event.
Moreover, Nadal has won 10 of their previous 14 career meetings, has never lost to Murray on clay and hasn’t dropped a set in this year’s tournament since the opening round.
Should Murray prevail he will face either Roger Federer, winner of 16 grand slam titles, or his Australian Open final conqueror Novak Djokovic, whose winning streak currently stands at 43 matches.
Despite that daunting prospect the way Murray has battled against the odds in order to reach his first ever French Open semi-final should give him cause for optimism.
The world No4 damaged his ankle during his third round win over David Berrer before having to display all his fighting qualities in fighting back from two sets down to defeat Viktor Troicki.
But just as his ankle looks as if it’s on the mend, the 24-year-old required emergency dental repairs following Wednesday’s quarter-final win over Juan Ignacio Chela after biting into a baguette.