Australian Open Betting / Ralph Ellis / 08 January 2010 / 1

Andy Murray turns 23 this spring and Ralph Ellis fears that, with Federer still dominating and Juan Del Potro getting better and better, the Brit's chance of ever being world number one may have come and gone.

When Tim Henman was first coming close to winning Wimbledon, there was always Pete Sampras in his path. Whatever Henman did, the American was simply too good for him.

So we waited patiently thinking that Sampras was older, wouldn't play for ever, and that Henman's time would come. And then of course Roger Federer's time came instead.

Just as in the Wild West there was always another young gunslinger arriving with a quicker draw, so it seems in tennis there's always a new kid on the block to challenge the established order. It's why I fear that as Andy Murray reaches his 23rd birthday this Spring his chance of ever being world number one might already have come and gone.

Murray has eased gently into the new season by warming up in Perth in the Hoffman Cup. Overnight his fledgling partnership with Laura Robson earned a 2-1 win against Russia that took them into the final. And he has been away and done his annual two-week "boot camp" in Florida to brush up his fitness ready for the new season. On court he looks relaxed, has had a smile and a laugh with Laura that's clearly put her at ease too, and given good vibes for the campaign that's about to begin in earnest.

But if you are tempted to think that Federer's era is drawing to a close, that Rafael Nadal too has slid from his peak, and that Novak Djokovic was a fleeting phenomenon, then comes a reminder from former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash today that it's now a top five who are out there ahead of the rest of the pack.

Cash reckons that Murray can still be number one, but that it will be Juan Martin Del Potro who will be his biggest rival. "Del Potro is the danger guy of the whole lot of them", he says.

And it's a fair shout. Del Potro is 21, the age at which tennis players seem to hit their peak, and will go into the Australian Open with the confidence gained from winning the US Open when he shocked Federer in the final. Despite that success he's as long as [7.8] to win this Grand Slam too and it looks a value bet.

Murray reached the world number two ranking for a fortnight in August last year before falling prey to one of the niggling injuries that he still seems prone to collect. He is [2.12] to reach the same level at any time in 2010 but Del Potro's emergence means that's a far safer lay, even at the [3.0] that's available at the moment. And I hate to be negative but I also think the [1.63] for him to end the year still searching for his first Grand Slam title is also a safe investment.

Five things you might not know about Pat Cash

1. Full name Patrick Hart Cash, he's one of only four players to have won both the junior and senior Wimbledon titles. Bjorn Borg, Stefan Edberg and Roger Federer are the other three

2. His 1987 Wimbledon men's title was the last won by a player using a traditional racquet

3. He is a qualified healer in Reiki, a Japanese alternative treatment said to work by transferring 'healing energy' from the hands during a massage

4. A fanatical amateur guitarist - and taught by Rolling Stones star Ronnie Wood - he's jammed on stage at different times with bands including Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy, Bad Company, The Cult and The Pretenders

5. He's now a vegetarian, although he admits "not too strict - if I go to Japanese restaurant Nobu I just have to have the Wagyu beef".

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1. Pete | 09 January 2010

   2. His 1987 Wimbledon men's title was the last won by a player using a traditional racquet

   I wouldn't call an aliminium racket 'traditional'!

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