Former British tennis player Tim Henman has backed Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, saying that the British No.1 will have no problem in raising himself for a defence of his US Open crown while still in the afterglow of his Wimbledon triumph.
According to Metro.co.uk, Murray lost for the first time since May when beaten in the second round of the Rogers Cup in Montreal by Ernests Gulbis and was eliminated in the quarter-finals in Cincinnati last week.
However, Henman insisted that the Scot would be back to his best and ready for another assault on Flushing Meadows and even expected him to be in contention for a third Grand Slam there, saying that he does not read too much into Murray's losses at Montreal and Cincinnati.
According to Henman, although Murray might have a bit 'undercooked' in Canada, he will however, be even more confident in the US Open this time, although he expected Murray to face tough competition from Spaniard Rafael Nadal.
The report mentioned that although Nadal suffered a shock first-round exit at Wimbledon, sparking fears of a nagging knee problem, he bounced back to bag the Rogers Cup last week- his 48th win in 51 matches and tenth final in 11 tournaments in 2013.
Stating that hard court should suit Nadal better, Henman, who is the ambassador for the UK's largest junior grass tournament- the HSBC Road to Wimbledon, also said that Nadal had an incredible season, despite his Wimbledon loss, including his French Open win and is the favourite at the US Open right now.
Henman also saw Serbian Novak Djokovic gunning for a repeat of his US Open win in 2011 and talked up the chances of five-time US Open champion Roger Federer, insisting the Swiss world No.5 could spring a major surprise in Queens, despite his struggles this summer.