BRITISH hopeful Andy Murray will be looking to emulate the success of one of his childhood heroes Andre Agassi when he steps on court at the Olympics next week.
The Scot, No 6 in the ATP Tour rankings, will represent Britain in the singles and doubles events in Beijing.
The 21-year-old cites Agassi's 1996 gold medal win over Spain's Sergi Brugera in Atlanta as one of his earliest memories of the Olympic
Games. Agassi won the gold when Murray was aged nine, but the image of the American at the top of the podium still remains in Murray's mind.
He said: "When I was younger I used to watch the track and field a lot, but for me seeing Agassi win gold was awesome.
"It's an honour and a privilege to get this opportunity and hopefully I can replicate what he did when he won his gold medal. To get the opportunity to take part in such a huge competition is fantastic. I'm really looking forward to it."
The British No 1 goes into the tournament on the back of his first Masters Series tournament win after overcoming world No 3 Novak Djokovic 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5) in Cincinnati on Sunday.
Murray believes he is peaking at the right time to mount a medal challenge in Beijing and dismissed suggestions he should avoid the Olympics to concentrate on the US Open, which starts in three weeks time.
"I'm feeling good. All the world's top players are going to be there but on my current form there's no reason why I can't challenge for a medal," Murray said.
"It's a big sacrifice but to be involved in the Olympics is a rare opportunity. Very few athletes can say they have done it in their career and I think I'm playing well enough to do well."
The full article contains 318 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
