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I can’t get excited by Andrew Murray breaking the top 100. I know it’s good, I know, I know. He’s only 18, he’s the future. Stop it.<br />
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The reason why I am not popping out of my shorts like the British media is that a player breaking the top 100 is so run-of-the-mill for other countries. We latch onto success and smother it so hard, and then get upset and criticise when whoever it is we just put on a pedestal doesn’t quite win the big one. It’s a self-destructive streak, and it’s played out in offices and pubs all over the country. I hate it.<br />
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So, yes. Murray is in the top 100. And as if to prove it, <a href=”http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/4296600.stm”>he backed it up</a> and in his next match beat a very good player in Robby Ginepri, who was in the US Open semi. That should move him into the 80s. <br />
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This is a remarkable achievement for a player that started the year ranked 400+. His potential is huge. Yet, he could also be another Tommy Haas (lots of promise, lots of injuries, lots of disappointment, no big title) or a Magnus Norman (currently residing in the “Where are they now?” file). Or, God forbid, a Tim Henman.<br />
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You smiled at that, didn’t you? You hate Henman. We all do. Bloody choker. That’s the problem. We all have a go at Tim, but he’s actually far better than we think. If Murray matches his career, we will be fortunate indeed.