Andy Murray says there is ‘no reason’ why he cannot have a good tournament at Wimbledon and has joked that he already has the title wrapped up.
Murray takes on wildcard Ryan Peniston in an all-British battle on Tuesday to kick off his Wimbledon campaign.
His 27-year-old opponent is playing in the Wimbledon main draw for only the second time having made his ATP Tour debut last summer.
Should Murray beat the world No.267, he will then face a tricky second-round match against either world No.5 Stefanos Tsitsipas or 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem.
His projected path to the final could then see him face Ben Shelton before a possible mouth-watering clash with British No.1 Cameron Norrie in the fourth round.
‘I mean, a lot of it comes down to, like, your performance,’ Murray said about his chances at this year’s Championships.
‘Depending on draws and situations and everything, like, it’s possible to play poorly and make the quarter-finals.
‘If I was to play Novak [Djokovic] in the second round, I lost in five sets or whatever, I can’t say I would walk away from the tournament and be really disappointed if I performed how I still think that I can.
‘That’s what I want to do at this tournament. I want to go out there and perform at a level that I’m happy with.
‘I do feel like I’m in a really, really good position to do that. I have the experience at this tournament. Playing on the big courts here more than – there’s only one player in the draw that has more experience of playing here than me, which is Novak.
‘Yeah, I actually don’t know this for sure, but maybe [I] certainly will be one of the only players that’s won against him here, as well.
‘I need to use that to my advantage and use my experience to my advantage and take confidence from that.
‘I do believe I’m one of the best grass court players in the world, and I’m physically feeling really good. I prepared well, so there’s no reason why I can’t have a good tournament.’
When it was put to him that the last time he played a fellow British player in the first round he went on to win Wimbledon, Murray added: ‘Brilliant. Great. Can we start celebrating now?’
Asked about possible plans for retirement, the 36-year-old said: ‘I’m not planning on stopping after I’ve won the tournament here!’
Murray has been on a resurgence this year, winning three ATP Challenger titles since May and has climbed up to world No.39.
The two-time Wimbledon champion plays with a metal hip after surgery saved his career in 2019.
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