Andy Murray finished runners-up in the last two Grand Slams -- Australian Open and French Open -- losing to Novak Djokovic. Murray will be keen to win the third major of the year, as he is set for a clash with Milos Raonic in Wimbledon 2016 final on Sunday. But the Scot cannot take the Canadian player lightly.
Though Murray might have a slight edge in the final, the second seed will be tested by Raonic, who is one of the best servers in the game. He served upto 144 mph in his semifinals, against Roger Federer. The matchup even looks more interesting with Murray being an incredible returner of the ball.
Both the players will be under pressure to win Wimbledon 2016, and there is a serious need for both the stars to start well in the final, and maintain the momentum throughout. Apart from Murray's clash with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals, where the Scot was tested to the hilt, with the game being stretched to five sets, it has been a decent run for the 2013 Wimbledon champion.
Murray is only looking for his second Wimbledon crown, and third Grand Slam title. However, Raonic is in a completely new territory, and will feature in his first major final. The Canadian reached the final after defeating Federer in the semifinals of the competition, which must have helped Raonic gather immense confidence coming to this final.
Murray is aware about the strong player Raonic is in the grass courts, but just wants to concentrate on his game.
"Milos is a very tough opponent. He's played very well on the grass this year and has earned his right to the final by beating one of the best, if not the best player, ever at this event. So he deserves to be there," ATP's official website quoted Murray as saying.
"You never know how anyone's going to deal with the pressures of a slam final. So just have to go out there and concentrate on my side, do what I can to prepare well for it and see what happens."
Murray has a better head-to-head record over Raonic, as the Scot has emerged victorious six times, including their last five outings. Murray possesses an incredible game from the baseline, and can win rallies with his powerful and precise shots.
The two players met in the final of the Aegon Championship last month, where Murray came back from a set down to clinch the title. The sixth seed must have learnt from that game, and will be keen not to repeat those mistakes on Sunday.
Raonic will be keen to get his serves right, and make the most of his services games, and try to break Murray serves. However, the Wimbledon 2016 final will not only be decided on service games, both the players will have to be on top of their all-round game to win the title.
Raonic won his first three rounds without losing a single set, but has had to battle against David Goffin (fourth round), Sam Querrey (quarters) and Federer before reaching the final. But such tests must have put him in good stead, and challenge Murray for the title. The sixth seed feels confident in the run upto the final.
"I felt I was doing a lot of things well [coming into Wimbledon]. I was putting the pieces together. I was just hoping they would make some good music for me at that point. It's come together nicely. There's obviously been bumps throughout this week. I've overcome a lot of different things," Raonic said.
"Those things have made me stronger. Now I have an even bigger tool set to face that challenge on Sunday."
With Murray set to receive massive support, can the second seed dance his way through to victory, and clinch Wimbledon title? Or will Raonic stun Murray?
Where to watch live
Andy Murray vs Milos Raonic Wimbledon 2016 final is set to begin at 2 p.m. local time (6.30 p.m. IST, 9 a.m. ET) start. Below is the TV and live streaming information.
India: TV: Star Sports 1 and Star Sports HD1. Live Streaming:Starsports.com and Hotstar.
UK: TV: BBC Two and BBC One. Live Streaming: BBC iPlayer.
France and Middle East: TV: Bein Sports. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
Australia: TV: Fox Sports. Live Streaming: Foxtel.
USA: TV: ESPN. Live streaming: Watch ESPN.
Canada: TV: CTV and TSN. Live Streaming: TSN TV.
Asia: TV: Fox Sports Asia. Live Streaming: Fox Sports Play Asia.
China: TV: Beijing TV, LeTV Sports, Jiangsu TV.
Europe:TV: EuroSport. Live Streaming: EuroSport Player.
