Murray says Nadal favourite for title

By Martyn Herman

LONDON (Reuters) - Andy Murray tipped Rafael Nadal to win Wimbledon this year after suffering a straight sets demolition at the hands of the Spanish powerhouse on Wednesday.

Nadal was unstoppable in a 6-3 6-2 6-4 defeat of the British number one, leaving fans still waiting for a first home men's champion here for more than 70 years.

With Nadal getting better and better and five-times champion Roger Federer still the king of the grass, Murray may have a long wait if he is to dislodge them.

"I think (Nadal) has a great chance," Murray told reporters after being soundly thrashed. "I think if he plays that well and returns like that, I think he's very close to being the favourite to win the tournament.

"After his first match he's played some great tennis. I think he's got a very, very good chance of winning. He was close last year and I think he's playing better than he was last year."

There were times on Centre Court when not even two Andy Murray's could have dealt with Nadal's vicious hitting.

Asked to describe what it is like to be on the receiving end against Nadal in full flow, Murray said: "He just swings his arm so hard at the ball. When you watch Federer play it looks like sort of effortless power.

"When you see Nadal, and you actually see how fast he moves the racket through the air and the amount of spin and speed that he generates, his forehand, it's the heaviest shot in tennis."

(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Clare Lovell)