Britain's
prodigious young talent George Morgan has been making everyone sit up and watch
him eagerly on the junior circuit, and it will not be long until he is making
an impact at senior level.
Morgan
has absolutely everything going for him: a full repertoire of powerful
groundstrokes and an extraordinarily big game.
The
Englishman is a powerful player who possesses a quite monstrous first
serve, the like of which prompts gasps from spectators around the junior
circuit.
I don't
wish to put excessive pressure on the 18-year-old, but what you can say for
sure is that he is going to make some waves in the men's game.
Morgan
is an enormously talented player who holds nothing back when pounding fierce
blows from the back of the court, and his power is quite startling for a man
his age.
He is
naturally pacy with a searing backhand which is fast becoming the envy of every
other junior player on the circuit. His forehand is also as powerful as they
come at such a tender age.
Of
course, he has his weaknesses and aspects of his game which require very hard
work: his movement around the court is occasionally found to be leaden-footed
and inefficient, while his second serve will require a further injection of
pace at the top level.
It is
simply hoped that the Brit can fulfil his talent, cope with the pressure at
Wimbledon, and finally shoulder some of the immense media scrutiny centred
solely on Andy Murray right now.
Morgan
has been open about the fact that his hero is Murray, and if his career
trajectory can follow that of the Scot's then he would be more than happy.
Having
taken up the game at the tender age of five, Morgan thrives on all surfaces,
but particularly hard courts - and I expect him to make an impact at both
Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows.
The
Bolton lad became the first Brit to
win the U18 singles title at the Orange Bowl in Miami in December 2010, adding
to his U14 crown at the tournament in Crandon Park on Key Biscayne, and he
continues to perform at the big tournaments.
Morgan
recently reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open junior boys' singles,
eventually losing to top seed Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic, but the form
he showed Down Under was quite superb.
I was
fortunate enough to be able to watch a fair bit of Morgan's progress in
Melbourne, and I was hugely impressed with his powerful serve and assured play
from the back of the court.
The most
important thing about the teenager is his mental strength - the fact that he
does not let the big stage overawe him or stifle his natural instincts.
There
will be times when he has to show guts and the ability to grind out results
when things are not going his way, but there is nothing to suggest that he will
not establish himself at the very highest level on the men's tour.
I can
look at some of the so-called emerging talents on the junior circuit and think
to myself 'you are not going to make it', but with Morgan there is little doubt
in my mind that he has what it takes.
The
future is very exciting for the Lancastrian, and for Britain as there finally
appears to be a man ready to follow Murray in flying the flag on the senior
tour.