“Magical Murray,” screams the Daily Express in bold and large font before adding, as if it might make the difference, “Murray looking champion!”
“Mighty Andy,” proclaims the more succinct but no less expectant Daily Mirror.
“It’s a Grind of Murray in Magic Show,” suggests the Daily Star.
“Smashing,” booms the Daily Record before a sub-heading that just can’t help itself with the news print version of a fist punch: “Gutsy Andy!”
Everywhere you look there’s big and bold type, extra column inches, added exclamation points … and mighty expectations.
And really, how can there not be? It’s been a 74-year wait for those patient Brits, with Bunny Austin the last local to contest the Wimbledon men’s final in 1938. Tim Henman came close with his four semi-final appearances in the late ‘90s, but that’s a memory wearing down as quickly as the lush green grass on the centre court baseline.
Andy Murray has also been in that place too, of course, reaching the last four at The All England Club on four previous occasions. The difference this time could be the big-serving and crafty players the Scot has beaten along the way, with Ivo Karlovic, Marcos Baghdatis, Marin Cilic and Ferrer all expected to have provided far greater resistance.
Murray has dropped at least a set in each of those encounters, yet somehow having to grind out the wins only adds to the sense that this could be his year. And then there’s the fact that Murray’s challenge took an unexpected turn when two time champion Rafael Nadal was unexpectedly eliminated in the second round.
“I think if you think too much about it, you know, and you read the newspapers and you watch the stuff on TV that's said about you, I think it would become far too much,” he said.
“But if you kind of shield yourself from it all and kind of just get into your own little bubble, only listen to the people that are around you, then it's something you can deal with.”
A wise approach for a man – one of the few it seems – who understands there’s still a long way to go before the final. Not to mention a superbly credentialed opponent in Roger Federer who’ll be waiting there.
At age 25, does Murray have the maturity to take his biggest step? If so, he also has a fine-tuned appreciation of the magnitude of his achievement.
“I first played here I didn't understand what it was like, and it still took a few years for me before I understood how important this tournament was to me, how important it is to tennis, and also this country, as well,” he conceded.
“It’s become more and more special to me the more years I've played. I've started to understand how important it is to tennis.”