Murray backs England for 2010 World Cup to boost his Wimbledon chances

London: British tennis star Andy Murray is backing England for the 2010 football World Cup in South Africa, because it will help him to win Wimbledon.

Murray caused an uproar four years ago when he joked he would be supporting "anyone but England" at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.But now he is ready to support Fabio Capello`s team in South Africa and is happy to let the Three Lions shoulder all the nation`s expectations. Murray aims to become the first British player to win a Grand Slam in 74 years. "Wimbledon is different in a World Cup year and it does make things a bit easier for me," a newspaper quoted Murray, as saying. "The World Cup is huge in terms of viewing figures and media coverage and this year England have a very good chance of winning it. Last year there wasn`t a whole lot else going on during Wimbledon fortnight so all the focus was on me and the tennis." "This year I probably won`t get so many demands on my time, particularly in the build-up. I might not get so many paparazzi following me about and not so many people knocking on my door asking about my personal life, which would make things nicer for me," Murray said.Murray is still paying the price for his joke four years ago, a newspaper reports. "I need to be careful not to make any jokes that could be misinterpreted but as long as I`m honest there won`t be any problems. If you are asking me who is going to win the World Cup, I`d have to say Spain because they have an unbelievable team." "But England have a very good chance and it`s absolute c**p to think I`ll be cheering for whoever they are playing," he added. ANI