Sweden's Bjorn Borg, the 11-time Grand Slam champion, including five Wimbledon titles, heralded Andy Murray as a future world No.1.
"Ican't think of any player during my time who played like Andy," said Borg. "He is special. I have never seen anybody like him before. I've never seen anyone like that. He can mix up and vary his game so well, and in my opinion he is going to become the best player in the world."
It was a couple of years ago that Borg became convinced that Murray was going to set the world of tennis alight, and end the British men's Grand Slam singles winning drought that stretches back to the last of Fred Perry's eight majors in the US in 1936.
"I said in 2006 that I believed a lot in Andy, and that he was going to be- come a great player, and that eventually he would win a Grand Slam. I did not quite think that it would happen this year, but from now on he is a big contender. He has improved so much, both physically and mentally, and he is so much more mature," said Borg.
"Andy now knows and believes that he can beat any player in the world and win any tournament. At the start of his career a lot of people had serious doubts about whether he could handle the pressure, and about his temperament on court. There has been a 100% improvement in his game this year. Andy has all the shots, and great hands. He is a huge talent."
"I Don't believe Andy really has any weaknesses, though obviously he can improve his game, especially on the clay," said Borg. "He has been working exceptionally hard in all aspects, and I really believe that he can win a Slam next year. He played unbelievably well at Wimbledon in that match against Richard Gasquet before meeting Nadal, and if he finds himself in the same situation against Rafa next year then I think he knows he can beat him.
"You know, Andy can play on all surfaces and in a variety of ways. He can hit the ball soft and he can hit it hard; he can play from the baselines and he can also move to the net when it suits him. He makes it very difficult for his opponents and they find it confusing to play him. "Nadal deserves to be the No. 1 this year. Federer has had a good year though maybe if you talk to Roger he will say it has been a bad one. I believe he will come back and take the No. 1 spot, though obviously Nadal will still be the player for everybody to beat on clay. But I think Andy could win the Australian Open like Novak (Djokovic) did last year. I feel sure he will win one of the majors next year, and eventually become the No. 1."
Borg was in Shanghai with four British tennis hopefuls, part of a sporting and cultural exchange organised by HSBC in conjunction with the bank's annual Road to Wimbledon tournament. Scott Clayton from Jersey, Ben Lott (Northumberland), Emma Devine (Glasgow) and Sophie Morrill (Middlesex) were the four finalists this year.
"Britain has a lot of young talent, and Andy's success is obviously helping," said Borg. "I just wish that they were Swedish."
Bjorn Borg is leading the HSBC Sporting Exchange to inspire juniors to learn from different cultures and sports.
©Guardian Newspapers Limited 2008
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