Murray Brothers Serve Up A Double Act

LONDON, July 1, 2008 — -- Scotland's Andy Murray has captured the imagination of British tennis fans after sweeping into the men's quarterfinals at Wimbledon, giving him a shot at becoming the first British men's Wimbledon champion in 72 years.

Murray has besieged Centre Court as if it was the Battle of Bannockburn, conjuring up the memory of Robert the Bruce, the famous Scottish king.

Although this Scot had seemed emotionally and physically spent, on Monday he clawed his way back from two sets down to defeat one of the top ten players in the world, Frenchman and eight-seed Richard Gasquet in a 5-7, 3-6, 7-6, (7-3), 6-2, 6-4 tumultuous victory.

He was backed by throngs of British fans yelping, screaming, burying their faces in their hands, some daring not to look and all applauding through every enthralling rally.

Fifteen thousand fans, with teeth clenched, perched on the edge of their seats, chanting "Murray, Murray" on the lawns of Wimbledon's Murray Mount , and thousands crowded round televisions all over the United Kingdom as the 12th seed hit a thundering service winner to win the match shortly before 9:30 p.m.

Murray was thrilled by the rabid fans. "It was the best support I've ever had in my life. When it happens, you have to really enjoy it. It's very important to try and use the energy of the crowd.... [They were] just awesome."

While Andy sweated it out, he was not the only Murray making headlines. His elder brother Jamie, a doubles player, has in recent years become the second coming of John McEnroe, circa 1981, by hogging the limelight, not with his play but rather with the flamboyant mop of hair he has sported. It has long attracted abuse from spectators, but it all changed this week.

Jamie's mom, Judy, took to the radio telling listeners the big news.

"You'll see a very different Jamie out there. He shaved off all his hair last night. He did it himself in the flat."

When asked how short it was, she replied, "He could be in the army."

So GI Jamie appeared on court 3 on Monday ready to fight second seeds Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic, but he and partner Max Mirnyi of Belarus lost in straight sets in the third round of the men's doubles.

But like his brother, Jamie delved deep and came back more determined later in the day to defend the mixed doubles' crown, which he won last year with Serbian star Jelena Jankovic.

This year, though, he has a new American partner, Liezel Huber. They handily advanced to the quarterfinals in a two-set win.

It seems other stars have been updating their looks too, and the tennis court is now the new runway: Serena Williams has been strutting her stuff in a trench coat, Maria Sharapova donned a tuxedo and Roger Federer sported a snappy gold-trim cardigan!

One could be forgiven for thinking that the Murray brothers motivate each other like the inseparable Williams' sister act.

But Nick Bollettieri, the ex-player turned coach who runs a tennis boarding school in Bradenton, Fla., told ABC News, "Full credit should be given to the level-headed mother who knows how to deal with both boys." He says that the boys are very different and Andy is very much an outcast, who doesn't like to play by the rules, which reminds him of another rebellious alumnus and former U.S. number one, Andre Agassi.

Nick's advice for Andy Murray's upcoming match against the No. 2 ranked superstar Rafael Nadal is, "Play without a game plan. Tell him too much and it could hurt him, know a little something about your opponent, but you don't want to take away from what you can do."

And when asked whether the British fans would be able to propel him to victory over the heavily favored Spaniard, he said, "This is a whole different ball game, he will need the whole world behind him."

Andy himself is not short of confidence going into the quarter finals.

When asked if he believed he could win the tournament, he answered, "Obviously he [Nadal] is the favorite for the match, but I do think I can win."

Meanwhile, Jamie does not expect to reclaim the mixed doubles title, but he did not rule it out either, describing the competition as "a lottery."

It may be a lottery but as much as fans, family and friends can provide support, Andy and Jamie will need to bet on themselves this time.