So Far, Murray is Handling the Pressure

Of all the reasons many sports stars have not lived up to their potential, pressure may be at the top of the list. Whether it be from fans, media or coaches, an incredible amount of pressure tends to be put on athlete’s who they deem have the chance to be great. A great example of this dynamic is the Scotland’s Andy Murray, currently the No.3 tennis player in the world.

Murray will be playing Juan Carlos Ferrero in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon tomorrow, and realistically, a loss is not acceptable. You see, Murray isn’t just playing to win this tournament for himself. No, he is playing for an entire kingdom.

The United Kingdom takes great pride in everything. They are very nationalistic, and they certainly love rooting for their own. That includes rooting for their countrymen in sporting events, which is where Murray comes into the fold. Murray, as the nation’s star player, will be playing on Centre Court, and he will be expected to win, no matter the circumstances.  That’s because, quite frankly, the British are tired of losing.

The last British man to win Wimbledon was Fred Perry, in 1936. That’s a stretch of 73 years, and it has been an extremely difficult stretch at that. The UK has had a few hopeful contenders in during that time period, the most notable being Tim Henman. Henman was very talented, and he was expected to be the  player to finally win Wimbledon for all of the UK. All of the Britain seemed to come out and support him when he would play in the country’s Championship. During his time in the sport, he became a staple of Centre Court — the most famous court in all tennis.

Everyone wanted to see their man win matches for all of Britain, and eventually win it all. Further explaining their excitement, there is a grass area outside of Court 1 with a TV screen where fans can watch the match being played on Centre Court. Henman was always featured, and fans packed the area to its capacity. Soon enough, the area affectionately came to be known as “Henman Hill.” Fans would wait for hours, drinking champagne and Pimm’s, waiting to watch Henman play.

Henman was a man with a flair for the dramatic, as all of his matches seemed to be close, and tense. Unfortunately for the British, that style became the story of his career. He made it to the semifinals of Wimbledon four times, but was never able to win.

Someone else would have to come along and once again give the British hope. That man was Murray.

Murray burst onto the scene at Wimbledon in 2005 as a player with tons of promise and potential — the kind of promise that gave the British heavy expectations. Murray made it to the third round, but lost a tough match in which he had a two sets to love lead against David Nalbandian. It was an acceptable finish for someone who was playing in his first Wimbledon.

But as he continued to grow as a player, expectations were only going to rise. How Murray would be able to handle those expectations was a big question mark. He seemed to struggle with the astronomical expectations early in his career, as he was a fiery player who at times had trouble controlling his emotions. As time went on, however, he would learn to stay much more calm during his matches.

Gradually, his results began to improve at Wimbledon. In 2006, he was defeated by Marcos Baghdatis in the fourth round; in 2007, a wrist injury forced him to withdraw from the tournament; and last year, he lost to Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals.

Since the loss to Nadal, Murray has become an even better player, as evidenced by his run to the final of the U.S. Open in 2008. Coming into this year’s Wimbledon, the pressure has become exceedingly great. With the way he had been playing leading up to the tournament, fans expected him to reach the final.

Up to this point, Murray has done an excellent job of playing under the intense pressure of the hometown fans. He has been featured on Centre Court in all four of his matches, and he’s performed admirably. He has gone through his competition with relative ease — with the exception of Monday’s match against Stanislas Wawrinka. The match was the first ever to be played under the roof at Wimbledon, and it also became the latest match ever to be played on Centre Court (it ended just after 10:30pm England time). In dramatic fashion that even Henman could admire, Murray lost the first set, won the next two, lost the fourth and won the fourth. The atmosphere was incredible, as the fans seemed to be even louder with the echoes that accompanied being under the roof.

Now, Murray will face Ferrero in a match that he is once again expected to win. Just like they did when Henman was making his runs at Wimbledon, the fans will pack Centre Court and what is now known as “Mount Murray.” The pressure that is mounting on this 22-year-old is extraordinary, but he things are only going to get more difficult if he advances. His potential semifinal match would come against either Lleyton Hewitt or Andy Roddick, two former champions who still have the ability to play well in this tournament. Murray has a solid serve that has variety, excellent ground stroke and the ability to counterpunch, then become the aggressor when it is least expected. His game would fare well against either of the two, and he most likely would want to face Hewitt, who does not boast the power that Roddick does.

First, he needs to make sure he doesn’t overlook Ferrero, which would seem hard to do considering how much pressure he has on him.

It is not going to be easy for Murray to win this tournament. The British fans have placed tons of pressure on him; the fans want to erase what has become the curse of Fred Perry.

Moreover, they are craving to salute one of their own as champion of one of the most prestigious events in Britain.

They hope Murray is their man.

Well This Is The House That Dana White Built Now Who’s Goin’ To Tell Him How To Run It ?

Well if you’re an erstwhile follower of the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Then you’ll no doubt be fully aware of who Dana White is ? And the immense power and influence that he has over the sport of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts).

Dana White the President of UFC Inc. picture appears courtesy of ap/photo/ Scott McGlenden ...............

And as the President of UFC , (Ultimate Fighting Championships) his sphere of influence and the power that it carries borders on that of a autocratic ruler. His word is the last and final say as to the direction that the sport takes. And if anything he’s been known to be less than tolerant to those whom he feels aren’t prepared to subjugate themselves to his wish.

Welterweight champion George St Pierre looks quickly to take control over his challenger B J Penn during their welterweight title bout at UFC 94. St Pierre would retain the title in convincing fashion with the defeat of Penn. picture appears courtesy of mma.weekly.com/ Marcus Treforte’ ………

Often looked upon in the context of being nothing more than street brawling. Where almost anything goes with regard to the rules. In reality nothing could be further from the truth as the sport has grown in volumes. And where its rabid fans are predominantly young men aged between 18-45 . Strangely enough though there’s a growing following amongst young teenage boys of high school age. And at the same time there’s an increasing following amongst young women. Albeit that White , himself, doesn’t feel that there’s room at the table where women will be welcomed and compete against their own. But there’s a growing belief that as that particular movement fomeents itself . We may well see a change in direction from White and that of UFC.

UFC 100 fight card promotional poster. The event itself will be a televized PPV event. Which the promoters UFC hope will be a box office record in terms of revenues. The main card inludes world title bouts between Brock Lesnar , Frank Mir, George St Pierre , Thiago Alves and the very highly anticipated and some believe will a highly contentious middleweight none title bout between Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping. picture appears courtesy of 5thround.com/

But as the sport has grown in popularity. Wherein it is on the cusp of becoming one of the fastest mass participation sports in terms of not only fans but also as a means of recreation. It can be said that the sport has not only outgrown its niche . But also the legacy of being once thought of as being nothing more of a truly barbaric spectacle to watch and even participate in. No longer considered to be the back yard brawling or street fighting myriad and blood festooned sport that many thought it to be.

Lesnar takes it to Randy Couture on his way to winning the UFC heacvyweight title at UFC 94. picture appears courtesy of newsday.som / Art Richards ............

One of the things that White has been proactive in has been the safety aspects of the sport. And it has been largely through his own edicts that we’ve seen a great deal put in place. Whereby a medical team is in place at all of their sanctioned bouts . And that inlcudes those of the UFC and that of its smaller affiiliate WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting).

What has truly caught the public’s imagination in large has been the meteoric rise of the sport. And the very fact that it now outstrips professional boxing and the manic buffoonery of the WWE in terms of a mass audience appeal , viewership and economic revenues. It can be said that MMA as a sport is far more popular that the declining viewership of professional boxing and the closely orchestrated plotlines of the WWE.

The PPV revenues of the sport far outstrips those of the professional wrestling and in particular boxing. The latter may well be due to the fact that its once most prestigious division no longer has a champion that truly resonates with the fans. So arhaic and almost laughable has the heavyweight division become within the sport of boxing. That one seriously doubts that most would be able to recognize the multiple claimants of the heavyweight title itself. The cast of characters within the sport of boxing and that of wrestling now are so closely interwoven that it’s hard to tell them apart. You’ve either got cartoon characters or vapid characters devoid talent and emotion.

Anderson Sliva (right) uses a frontal kick to stop his opponent Dan Henderson in his tracks at this moment. picture appears courtesy of espn.com/ Ric Fogel .........

MMA gives you highly skilled athletes who are highly adroit in their chosen field . Many of them may well have a wrestling background or even have a martial arts background. Then have gone on to combine the two in order to compete within the sport. Be it ju-jitsu, karate , tae-kwondo , savate , muay thai boxing , or judo.

And while we may well labor under the fact that the sport is only sanctioned in but a few states across the country. The fact of the matter is that its tentacles have now reached across the globe and is popular on each of the continents. And even though we’ve seen fledling organizations crop up either hoping to challenge the presence of UFC or even nibble for the scraps of what now is a multi billion dollar sport. It has to be said that the sport under White has made enormous leaps and bounds. But yet is White’s unsavory thirst and lust for power that has got him caught in the cross hairs of promoters and former fighters within the UFC stable.

If a fighter isn’t signed to the UFC stable or its smaller affiliate. Then it becomes exceedingly hard for them to gain the exposure they seek. And without that exposure off-course a fighter cannot make a living. And while the other upstart organizations such as Affliction and K1. But there are several other who are in place but only a tiny minnow in an ever growing pond. UFC’s mark has been profound as too are the ambitions of Dana White.

Which brings me to what he’s now decidedly stating will be the best promotional bout put on by the organization. UFC 100 will take place on the 11th July at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas , Nevada. And the fight card promises to be one that’s ladened with a roster full of well known MMA protagonists. Amongst those taking center stage will be the current UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar who’ll be defending his title against Frank Mir. It’s being tagged as a unification bout as Mir is the interim champion.

And though the complete fight card will have two title bouts as part of the main event. The whole schedule of fights should give even the most avid of MMA fans something to get excited about. Perhaps none more so than the welterweight title bout between the holder George St Pierre and the Brazilian ju-jitsu martial artist Thiago Alves. To ignore however the full card would be to deprive the MMA enthusiast the full measure of what this sport is truly about. And above all why it’s so rabidly followed and the fact that the top fighters have their own loyal and devout legions of fans. Which in effect is more than can be said of the sport of boxing.

Once fighters ascend to the top of the MMA fight game. The recognition is instantaneous and with it comes the usual notoriety, wealth and acclaim. The top fighters can and do make in excess of six figures . And as usual some have been able to lure endorsers and have been enabled to pursue other fields of interests . Hence the reason we’re now seeing some boxers and former WWE stars cross the divide to enter the genre.

Thiago Alves lays waste to Matt Hughes seen here during their bout at UFC 85. Alves would win the bout with a devastating knockout of Hughes using a high knee kick. picture appears courtesy of zuffz llc/ Josh Hedges ..........

And though we can question White and his resolve. As to the direction with he wishes to push the sport. Total world domination in any guise seems to be his ultimate desire. It has to be said at that this juncture with the money being made by the sport and through its various subsidiaries . It’s indeed hard to state categorically that White is the right man in the right place at the right time to steer the sport at present. So far he may well have had one or two mis-steps. But those mis-steps are nowhere near as disatrous as one might first have perceived them to be.

Whilst the fans are happy , UFC is making money and the fighters no doubt are earning money as well. There’s not really much more that can be said. Other than to just go out there and cheer on your favorite fighter . That’s if you happen to be an avid UFC fight fan ?