Andy Murray would have won in another era - Andre Agassi

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Agassi tips Murray for Grand Slam glory

British number one Andy Murray would have won multiple Grand Slam titles if he had played in another era, Andre Agassi has told BBC Radio 5 live.

World number four Murray has seen 28 of the last 29 majors won by Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Agassi, who won eight Grand Slams, said: "In any other generation he would have multiple Slams and if he was in my generation I would have a lot less.

"I believe there is so much more he can accomplish in this game."

The former world number one added: "The top three have definitely established themselves as a cut above, but I do believe he [Murray] has the ability to do it."

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Wimbledon - What makes a champion?

Murray has lost his first three Grand Slam finals without taking a set and appointed Ivan Lendl, who won eight majors after losing his first four finals, as coach in December.

"I don't know Ivan as a coach but I think it's a sign that Andy is looking for something additional, a missing link, which means he's still fighting and he still cares, so for that I credit him," continued Agassi.

"If he cares hard enough, he will find a way."

Like Murray, Agassi also lost three Grand Slam finals before winning Wimbledon in 1992, beating Goran Ivanisevic in the final., external

"I didn't really believe in myself, getting out there in the final I had a lot of self doubt," the 42-year-old said in an interview to mark the 20th anniversary of his triumph at SW19.

"I knew playing Ivanisevic that I was going to have to do something special and I assumed I was going to lose. I went out there and let my shots fly and it taught me how to win."

The American was playing at Wimbledon for only the third time, having opted to skip the tournament for three successive years after struggling on his first visit to London in 1987.

"I wasn't prepared for the grass courts [the first year] and it rained a lot in the run-up to the tournament so I didn't get to practise a lot," said Agassi, who was beaten in round one by Frenchman Henri Leconte.

"I felt like I was intruding on the event. I had to carry my badge everywhere I went, showing it to get in the club. I felt that not only did I not want to be there, but they didn't want me there.

"I told my coach Nick Bollettierri that I was never going back. It didn't leave the best imprint on my memory, but one of my great regrets was responding to that by not playing for a few years."

Agassi returned to the All England Club in 1991 and reached the quarter-finals before losing in five sets to compatriot David Wheaton.

"I would have had to play Boris Becker in the semis and Michael Stich in the final and I had a very good winning record against both of those players, so I actually left Wimbledon in 1991 thinking that my chance to win had gone.

"So, the next year, I was enthusiastic about coming back. However, the circumstances of losing three Grand Slam finals had me questioning myself.

"When I played Becker in the 1992 quarter-finals, that was his court at the time. He was the one to beat. When I beat him five sets, I was thinking 'is this possible for me to win?'"

Agassi went on to beat another former Wimbledon champion, John McEnroe, in the last four before his five-set win over Ivanisevic in the final.

He would go on to win four Australian Open and two US Open titles, as well as the French Open in 1999, the final part of career Grand Slam, making him the first man to have completed the set of all four majors since Roy Emerson in 1964.

Agassi retired at the age of 36, external after the 2006 US Open and has since seen both Federer and Nadal complete the career Grand Slam, while Djokovic's bid to hold all four majors simultaneously was ended at the final hurdle by defeat in this year's French Open final.

"I can sit on the couch and take it all in," he concluded. "I think we'll look back and see this as a real golden era of tennis.

"The top three in the world winning so many of the Grand Slams is remarkable.

"I might sneak a peek at Wimbledon this year, through the lens of someone who loves London rather than someone who's trying to prepare for something.

"I'll really take in the environment as a spectator, which is something I've never been able to do."

You can listen to the full interview with Andre Agassi on BBC Radio 5 live on Wednesday at 21:30 BST.

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Sights and sounds of Wimbledon 2011

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