Andy Murray knows full well what is expected of him at Wimbledon this year, even if he would rather ignore it.
The world number two reached the second week of the tournament in style with a 6-2 6-4 7-5 victory over 32nd seed Tommy Robredo under the roof on Centre Court.
For a set and a half Murray was untouchable and, although his level dropped, he never looked in any trouble as he set up a fourth-round match with Mikhail Youzhny or Viktor Troicki on Monday.
The turmoil of the first week means Murray’s half is largely shorn of instantly recognisable names, with 20th seed Youzhny the highest seed the Scot could have to beat to reach the final.
It would certainly be a big shock if he was not in action next Sunday, with giant Pole Jerzy Janowicz looking the only real threat.
But Murray’s mantra has always been never to take any opponent for granted, and he was pleased that he was able to shrug off the attention on him and play a fine match against Robredo.
“I think there’s a lot more pressure on me now with (the big names) being out,” he said.
“I don’t read the papers but there are papers in the locker room, so you see some of the headlines and stuff. It’s not that helpful.
“But you need to be professional enough to not let that stuff bother you and just concentrate on each match. I think I did a good job of that today. I played well, my best match of the tournament so far.”
It was tough to see anything other than a relatively straightforward victory for Murray. Robredo had never been past the third round at Wimbledon and admitted before the match that he is not comfortable on grass.
The first set was a masterclass from Murray, the ball fizzing off his strings with a particularly pleasing ping under the roof.
Robredo was haring around behind the baseline but his efforts were mostly in vain as Murray won four straight games to move 4-1 ahead.
He played a loose game to drop serve but responded with another break and served out the set confidently.
Murray’s forehand has looked in great shape all week but it was his backhand that really impressed, and a precise passing shot across Robredo handed him another break at the start of the second set.
The Spaniard was having to hang tough, and he did, saving a break point in the fifth game.
From there it became a closer match, and Murray had to save a rare break point serving for the set in the 10th game, which he did with a forehand so powerful that it appeared to knock Robredo off his feet.
Moments later Murray wrapped up the set, and a tight third was settled with a break for the Scot in the 11th game, enabling him to clinch victory on his own serve.
Murray said: “Every set got tougher. I think he started to feel much more comfortable around the middle of the second set. He obviously had a break-point chance at 5-4 in the second. He got quite tight around that period.
“I hit the ball really, really well from the back of the court tonight from the first game, and that was pleasing because I served well the first couple of matches but maybe hadn’t hit the ball quite as I would have liked.
“But playing under the roof, it’s a bit easier probably to time the ball because there’s no wind or anything. So it was a good match.”
Robredo, a former top-10 player, dropped to 471st in the rankings last summer after thigh surgery but has risen quickly over the past 12 months, reaching 29th prior to this tournament.
At the French Open the 31-year-old recovered from two sets down to win three successive matches, the first time anyone had achieved such a feat at a grand slam for 86 years.
“He’s an extremely fit guy,” said Murray. “He works very, very hard and fights for every single point.
“The reputation came only from a couple weeks ago. It wasn’t something that he was known for. It was just an amazing achievement at the French Open what he did.
“More what I read into it is he fights for every single point and you need to be ready for that. It doesn’t matter what the score is, he’s going to chase balls down and make it very difficult. And I was ready for that.”
Murray, meanwhile, insisted he is serious about playing Serena Williams, although whether it happens or not remains to be seen.
The potential contest was put to Murray as a challenge by a follower on Twitter and he said he would be keen, with women’s world number one Williams yesterday giving a warm reception to the idea.
Murray said: “It’s not something I’m really going to push extremely hard to try and set up. I don’t think it would prove much for either of us. But if people would want to see it, then I would do it.”