Sporting Life - Wimbledon 2008

So we've reached the second week, the sun has shone, the attendance figures are nearly 41,000 up on last year and Andy Murray is not only winning matches, but gradually winning Britain's favour as well, you sense.

He has now made it through to the last 16 and is in the regal company of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Lleyton Hewitt and Marat Safin - all of them at least twice-over Grand Slam Champions.

Murray is not like Tim Henman when it comes to easy charm, but like Henman he is a winner, although there are signs that suggest he has that razor edge, which when it came to the final hurdle Tim sometimes lacked.

So for Murray it's onwards and upwards and today he faces someone in the last 16 who holds a similar place in French tennis, the eighth seed and last year's Wimbledon semi-finalist Richard Gasquet.

Gasquet has come out on top both times in their only previous meetings, however, they have never played each other on grass before.

Murray's path at this year's Wimbledon has fortuitously been up a gradual ascent, which he has easily coped with, but he could have quite easily have stumbled over and it is the same today. Both he and Gasquet have the skill to win this one.

But whoever does so will undoubtedly face a precipice too high - in other words, Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals.

Family

Now a moment of personal intrusion into family life that I hope you won't consider indiscreet. While Andy Murray was on the Centre Court on Saturday his older, smiley brother Jamie - you remember him, he won the mixed doubles title a year ago with Jelena Jankovic - was on Court No1 with his men's doubles partner Max Mirnyi.

Now you can't be in two places at once, so I was intrigued to see which match Jamie and Andy's mum Judy watched from her special seat. Well the answer was Andy's and she was super animated as usual - happy families still!?

The answer is yes, you get the feeling that it's all been chatted through during the growing-up years and I think Mum is doing a good job. I also like to think that these days she encourages Andy to put on a happy face more often when confronted with the media and at least he is now willing to talk to the media in length about one thing... his dog!

Back to more serious stuff, and the most serious of all is Federer against Hewitt. I'll repeat my line again from the other day that this will be the litmus test for Federer post-glandular fever and post the most awful drubbing by Nadal at the French Open final, which was of course on the Spaniard's surface, clay.

If Federer, with that princely class of his, can dismiss the terrier Aussie then I'll stop fretting over my one tip - another Federer triumph at the end of it all.

Star

A postscript if I may. On Saturday I spotted a star who will be one to look out for next year and for many years to come. She was beautiful to look at, blonde and athletic and comes from Denmark via Polish ancestry - learn to pronounce Caroline Wozniacki.

She thundered the ball passed the second seed Jelena Jankovic like she had never heard of her. But in the end, after a lengthy time out from Jankovic, she got flustered and muddled and seemed to lose her way, but then that is to be expected when you are only 17.

However, if I were in the image-making business, which everyone seem to be these days except for me, believe me I would invest in her.

One final thought on the women's singles and it seems we Williams should stick together really as I look forward to a possible final between Venus and Serena.

A third Wimbledon final between the sisters would probably spare American blushes over this year's failures in the men's singles where there is not one representative from this great nation - they cannot be serious can they?!

I suggest they hire some Russian coaches.