Sports

5 Questions for Cliff Drysdale

Espn analyst Cliff Drysdale, who was selected to the tennis Hall of Fame recently, talks Andy Murray, Serena Williams and Wimbledon with The Post’s Justin Terranova.

Q: Does the win at last year’s U.S. Open take some of the pressure off Andy Murray at Wimbledon?

A: I would think so. Murray always said he wanted to win New York more than anything. He also won the Olympics on Center Court at Wimbledon, so if anything takes the pressure off him it’d be that.

Q : Do you think he’s up there with the top 3?

A: I really like his chances. I don’t think there’s much between him and the top-3 players. He’s equal with (Rafael) Nadal and (Novak) Djokovic in my opinion. I don’t think there’s any question he’s a part of that group on this surface. (Roger) Federer is behind by a bit, but not much. To me, Federer always gives himself a chance because he never loses until the latter stages of a tournament.

Q: Does the top men’s players being so dominant take away from some of the excitement?

A: It’s always been that way going back to the days when (Rod) Laver dominated, (Jimmy) Connors dominated. Just by the nature of the sport. If anything, there’s more competition at the top of the sport now than I can remember. I think this domination is very healthy actually.

Q: Is this the best you’ve seen Serena Williams?

A: I don’t think she can pick her game up any more than she has over the last 18 months. She’s in good shape. She has a new mental outlook. She changed her strings on her tennis racket. I know that sounds crazy, but I really think for the first time in her career — 18 months ago in Miami — she figured out how important equipment is. The only one that can beat her now is herself.

Q: What has changed the most since 1979 when you started at ESPN?

A: I’ve been at ESPN since the beginning, pretty much, and it’s been amazing what they’ve done with the technology … and the coverage, too. It used to be that they’d send four of us to do the Australian Open to cover it, now the setup is just so thorough and impressive.