Sports Then and Now

After winning the U.S. Open in 2012, Andy Murray is hoping for a repeat this year.

Following his dominating performance in winning his first Wimbledon title, it will be interesting to see if U.S. Open bets make Andy Murray the prohibitive favorite to successfully defend his title at the final tennis major of the year.

It is hard to believe that just a year ago Murray was still searching for his first major championship and clearly was a step behind the “big three” of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

Now, following a victory over Federer to win the 2012 Olympic Gold Medal and then wins over Djokovic in the finals of both the 2012 U.S. Open and 2013 Wimbledon, Murray is making a case for himself as the best player in the game.

Of course, being the hunted instead of the hunter is a very different role. The question entering the 2013 U.S. Open is whether Murray can adjust to his new role as one of the tournament favorites.

 Loading ...

While Murray was seeded second to Djokovic at Wimbledon and based on current ATP Rankings will likely be second again at the U.S. Open, things still are now a bit different.

After his convincing Wimbledon victory, Murray is at the very least a co-favorite for the tournament and given that he is the defending champion could be seen as the player to beat.

During his long ascent to the top, that has never been the role for Murray as he has typically been the underdog or sleeper pick. Now, places like Paddypower tennis odds are looking at Murray as a betting favorite and he could potentially end the year as the number one player in the world.

That would be quite an accomplishment for a player who lost his first four major tournament finals and seemed destined to be considered a tier below the “big three”.

However, Murray has shown that he is indeed capable of putting together back-to-back great performances and be a major champion.

He now looks destined to be a regular contender for major championships and potentially Djokovic’s top rival for the next few years as Nadal and Federer likely fade into the background.

The 2013 U.S. Open will serve as a great indicator of whether Murray has indeed made that step and he will serve as one of the great storylines for what should be an exciting tournament.