The near future of Andy Murray

After Murray's loss at Wimbledon makes it possible to wonder if he'll ever win a Grand Slam.  It was close: he was 30-love in the pivotal game of the 2nd set, when Federer broke him to take it;  he was 40-love in the epic pivotal game of the third set, with 10 (or was it 11?) deuces.  And closing the roof appeared to aid the genius of Federer, who painted the lines in the last two sets -- Murray never caught a break on replays.  Federer is likely the best that's ever been (even though it's hard to judge for sure as technologies change and training improves), and it's hard to beat that when it is at its best.  And he was.

Will Andy Murray ever win a Grand Slam?

So this article wonders if Murray has the heart and mind to win a Slam final.  He's definitely got the game, and he's maturing.   Now, Federer is getting older, even if he didn't show it at Wimbledon, but faster surfaces make for quicker points, and that aided him.   With all due deference to his athletic wizardry, he's lost half a step and eventually it'll be a step.   That leaves Nadal and Djokovic.  At any given time, Nadal's style could deal him a significant injury, and then he's out of commission for awhile.  Which leaves a pretty athletic Djokovic.  It's hard to see how he can be beaten if he plays at his best, by anybody, but not everyone plays at their best all the time, so it only takes one upset to open the door.

So, if I was to predict, I'd say he will win one.  Of course, I predicted he'd win one this year, and now there's only one more chance for him to do that.  But I wish him luck;  it's hard to be #4 in a world with three great players.  And so in addition to his athletic talent, he'll probably need a bit of luck, too.