HIGGINS RIGHT BEHIND MURRAY IN SCOT'S WIMBLEDON BID.

By John Docherty.

WORLD snooker champion John Higgins believes Andy Murray's mental powers will give him a vital edge in his bid to win Wimbledon.
Tennis fan Higgins admits five-times king of SW19 Roger Federer is a worthy favourite, even more so following defending champion Rafael Nadal's decision to pull out through injury.
But Higgins, master of the green baize, insists fellow Scot Murray has the ability to go all the way and become the first British champion at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936.
Higgins, no stranger to showing enormous mental strength himself, revealed : "Murray is a sporting hero of mine and like any Scot who is doing well in his sport you are going to want him to succeed.
"It's obviously going to be tough but he can definitely go the full distance.
"Everyone knows he is a great tennis game, that's why he is world number three.
"But what I also like about him is that is is such a strong thinker the way he goes about his business on the tennis court.
"He's not crash, bang, wallop like a Goran Ivanisevic.
"He is a thinking man who is really clever the way he plays and that can only help him.
"I was at Wimbledon with my wife last year for the first time and I could not believe just how good these guys are.
"I watched Nadal in his second round match against Ernests Gulbis - who should meet Murray in the second round and that looks like a difficult game. Nadal won 3-1 after losing the first set and Gulbis showed he is a very capable player with a dangerous serve.
"Murray goes into the tournament on the back of winning at Queen's Club and is clearly in form although Federer is still the man to beat. You just need to look at his record, it's amazing.
"We don't have many Scots at the top of what you would call the high profile sports. We had golfer Colin Montgomerie up there for years but he has fallen away . Andy Murray is the best Scottish sportsman we've got just now and I would love to see him win Wimbledon.
"There is huge expectation on his shoulders from the British public. He reached the quarter-finals last year and has so many hurdles to overcome. But he must have a big chance even allowing for Roger Federer although all he'll be thinking about right now is getting through his first match against Robert Kendrick."

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