Murray - Time on my side

Andy Murray: Does not see his time at the top coming to an end soon

Andy Murray insists he is not running out of time in his bid to become the first British man to win a grand slam since 1936.

The British number one, who will begin his seventh Wimbledon campaign against Nikolay Davydenko on Tuesday, turned 25 in May and is now regarded as one of tennis' established stars.

His ongoing search for a major title has become one of the nation's biggest sporting sagas, with Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer proving to be insurmountable obstacles for him so far.

Only four players older than the world number four have become first-time slam champions since 2000, but Murray says the nature of the modern means the odds of him joining that list are in his favour.

"I just play, and I also think tennis has changed a lot. I know a lot about the history of the game and it has completely changed," he said.

"When I first made it into the top 10 there was me, Djokovic, Nadal, who were all 18 or 19 years old.

Average age

"Now there are maybe two or three guys under 20 in the top 100. The average age of the top players is much, much older than it used to be because the game has become much more physical.

"It has changed a lot so whereas before guys were playing their best tennis when they were younger, I think it is starting to happen now that guys are playing their best when they're older."

In fact Bernard Tomic is the only teenager currently ranked in the top 100, the Australian entering Wimbledon as the 20th seed having reached the quarter-finals last year.

Although young talents such as Tomic are starting to make their mark, Murray believes it will be a while before anyone breaks out of the pack to challenge for the biggest prizes in the sport.

He added: "I don't see anyone breaking through and winning the title out of nowhere.

Tough

"Last year Tomic made the quarter-finals but he is already a very good player. He is in the top 30 in the world. There are a lot of tough, tough guys out there."

Canadian Milos Raonic is another youngster who has shown his potential in recent years and could face Murray in the fourth round at the All England Club.

The 21-year-old is just one of several big servers that Murray could come up against, with Ivo Karlovic, Kevin Anderson and Marin Cilic also in his section of the draw.

"It's always a tough match when you play against big servers," Murray said.

"I've had a good record against them in the past but it can be quite mentally challenging playing against them because you can't really lose focus on your own serve, even if it's just for a few points.

"It can be tough to break them. Big servers usually play better when they're ahead, as well. But it would be stupid for me to look past Davydenko. Although I'm sure many people will, I won't be making that mistake."

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