Andy Murray has carried a unique kind of pressure on his shoulders since earning the world No. 1 ranking in November last year.

The Scot is no stranger to having millions of people yearning for him to do his homeland proud and has delivered on virtually every objective put to him.

Murray has so far endured one of the most trying years of his career in 2017, though.

The 30-year-old managed to reach the semi-final at Roland Garros after bundling out of the Australia Open fourth round despite playing notably below his best for much of the season.

Injury and fitness have significantly contributed to this lapse in form, leading many to question whether he can retain his Wimbledon crown.

Murray – who pulled out of two exhibition matches last week – has been seen limping through training sessions ahead of his opening match against Alexander Bublik at the All England Club on Monday.

The two-time Wimbledon champion seems all but unable to produce a decent title defence, prompting him to explain what he thinks of his chances at the tournament.

"I'll be fine to play the event and play seven matches," Murray said, as per the BBC.

"If I feel like I am today, I'd be delighted and have no issues getting through.

"If necessary, I can take some anti-inflammatories if my hip flares up. Hopefully that's not the case.

"I've had hip problems since I was very young," he added.

"It's not something new to me. It's just been very sore the last few weeks."

PROGRESS

Murray – who has never faced his first-round opponent in Bublik – says his injury isn't severe enough to hinder his prospects of advancing deep into the tournament.

"The last few days have been very good," he said.

"Practice each day has got a little bit better. It's been slightly stop-start preparations. But each day I've felt better.

"A little bit like at the French Open, where maybe I didn't come in as well-prepared, I still found a way with each match to feel a bit better, and built confidence each day.

"So, you know, I'm hoping that's the case here.”

Not much has gone the way of Murray in 2017, but a convincing win on Monday would do a lot to begin turning things around.