Murray’s Wimbledon prep becomes heavy after rain delay

Andy Murray has made winning at the Queen’s Club a bit of a habit in the past, but will have to overcome a heavy workload if he is to continue his rich vein of form at the tournament this year.

The Scot will need to win twice in one day if he is to reclaim a title he has won three times in his career already, after his semi-final match against Viktor Troicki was delayed until Sunday due to rain.

With the match locked at 3-3 in the first set, Murray must have cut a frustrated figure in the locker rooms as he was forced to sit and watch the rain fall in London.

Now, with much of the work still to be done to book a spot in the final, the world number three has to play the best part of two matches if he is to prepare for next month’s Wimbledon with a tournament win on grass.

Ladbrokes still make Murray the odds-on favourite, at 1/3, to claim the AEGON Championship, with the only secured finalist, Kevin Anderson, next in the betting at 5/2.

The South African has put on a serving masterclass on route to the final at Queen’s Club, serving an average of 25 aces per match and hitting the ball with ferocious power.

Playing him with fresh legs would have been a task in itself for Murray, who is the 3/1 second favourite behind Novak Djokovic to win Wimbledon this season, but doing so hours after a semi-final is altogether tougher prospect.

However tough it may be, though, Murray cannot argue that it will serve as the perfect preparation should he go on to lift the AEGON trophy.

The 28-year-old has reached the semi-finals of the SW19 tournament on all three of the previous occasions that he has won at Queen’s, with the 2013 victory preluding his famous Wimbledon victory over Djokovic.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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