Wimbledon gets underway today and I'm excited for what it holds for us this year. On the back of a great win at Queen's will Andy Murray become the first Brit since Fred Perry to win on home soil? It is a statistic I know only too well. Or will Roger Federer win his record-breaking 15th Grand Slam title?
There's always something special about the event - the crowd, the atmosphere (the strawberries)...Now there's the roof too, which as we found out in the test event a few weeks ago creates an even better atmosphere on centre court.
Looking forward just three years, the venue will host the Olympic Tennis events in 2012 and the history of the place is sure to bring a special feel to the competition. Olympic Tennis gold is very much a dream for players to win. Winning silver in Atlanta in 1996 was special for me - not least because you're doing it as part of a team of great athletes from all sports, adding to the overall Team GB effort. Being part of that wider goal, part of the biggest sporting event in the world, is brilliant.
I know Federer intends to fight to win the one remaining event that has so far eluded him. He competed in at the Sydney, Athens and Beijing Games and never made the final in singles, so he'll definitely be one to watch in 2012 - especially given his love of the Wimbledon grass courts. But so too Nadal, who has already tasted Olympic Gold and will still only be 26 years old when we get to 2012.
As for Andy Murray, grass may not have always been his favourite surface, but after his win at Queens it poses no problem in the future. Andy was part of Team GB in Beijing and so has had a taste of what Olympic competition is all about. He's achieved so much already and he has every chance of winning a Grand Slam by the time the Olympic Games come to London. He will deservedly be one of the favourites for the gold medal in 2012 and will have incredible support from the home fans.
Wimbledon is the ideal venue for the action in 2012. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to enjoying two weeks of fantastic tennis from the BBC commentary box.
