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Think of the British summer and, if you live on foreign shores, you might conjure up images of long, hazy days punctuated by the odd spot of rain but ultimately compensated by a bowl full of strawberries and cream. If you live in the United Kingdom, you're likely to be more realistic in your reflections and come to the conclusion that a sturdy umbrella is just as important a seasonal appendage as sunglasses or suncream.

However, if you live in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, your first thoughts of summertime may skip weather completely and land instead on that most British of sports: tennis. The truth remains that summertime in the UK is characterised by sunny optimism that is all too often dashed by the realities of the season.

It's usually a safe bet that rain and thunderstorms will follow blistering spells of heat and it's a similarly safe assumption that the latest national tennis hope can be relied upon to raise national expectations beyond all reasonable levels, only to bring them crashing down by bowing out of Wimbledon in the quarter or semi-final stages.

Andy Murray, the latest individual to be unfortunate enough to carry the expectations of a nation on his young shoulders, has moved quickly following his dramatic victory at Queen's to reverse, or at least to minimize, the potential consequences of this pattern of optimism followed by disappointment.

Murray secured victory at Queen's after overcoming the challenge posed by hard-hitting American, James Blake, 7-5, 6-4. His success made him the first British champion at Queen's since 1938. Hot on the heels of an impressive run in the French Open, this latest triumph has intensified the pressure already surrounding the 22-year-old, who hails from a small town in Scotland.

After his success, Murray revealed that he "won't be getting ahead" of himself in the build-up to Wimbledon, since both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are, in his mind at least, worthy favorites. The current odds in the Wimbledon 2009 Winner's Market don't entirely correlate with Murray's humble assertion that he is merely part of a group occupying the space "behind" these two players, with the Scot available to back at odds of [4.8] compared to Nadal's current odds of [5.9].

Federer is favorite, available to back at odds of [2.3], and Murray believes that this is a fair reflection of current form in the tennis circuit. However, with the Wimbledon crowd always ready and willing to provide a boost of confidence to their national hero-in-waiting, a factor which Murray describes as important for getting the "adrenalin going right from the start", the young Brit could be a wise bet despite his assertions to the contrary.

If you fancy a pick which might get you more value in the end, consider taking a look at Novak Djokovic. Fourth favorite in the winner's market at the moment, his odds stand at [17.0], a huge departure from the odds of Nadal, who currently occupies the third favorite position.