Wimbledon 2017: Andy Murray thrilled to have British company in last eight as Johanna Konta progresses

It is the first time for 44 years that there has been a British male and female in the last eight

Murray's route to the final has cleared after Nadal's shock exit (Getty)

Andy Murray is delighted to have another Briton through to the quarter-finals here and believes Johanna Konta’s breakthrough can help broaden the country’s interest in tennis – because some people do not like watching him play.

“I do think it makes a difference to the interest in the sport, because a lot of people who follow tennis in this country won't enjoy watching me,” Murray said in his post-match press conference after beating Benoit Paire. Sensing an air of disbelief around the interview room, the world No 1 insisted: “It's true.”

Murray said it was “important to have various different role models in the sport, players competing for the biggest events.” He added: “It’s great if you have someone like Jo or Kyle [Edmund], or whoever it is, just different players to follow. People like different game styles, different personalities. That's important.”

The last time that a British man and woman reached the quarter-finals here was when Roger Taylor and Virginia Wade did so in 1973. The only other time it has happened in the Open era was in 1970, when Taylor and Winnie Wooldridge both reached the last eight.

“I think what Jo has done over the last 18 months or two years, not just about this tournament, has been great,” Murray said. “It's great that she's doing well. Hopefully she keeps going the next few days.”

While Konta’s progress means that Murray is not carrying the whole weight of the country’s expectations on his shoulders he said that her success had not made life any calmer for him.

“I don't feel calmer this year than I did in previous years,” he said. “I'm still pumped to get out there regardless of whether there are other British players playing the tournament or not. I'm here to try and do as well as I can. Now that I'm in the quarters, obviously I want to keep going further.”

When Murray was suffering with a sore hip in the build-up to the tournament some doubted his chances of being fit enough to last the fortnight but the Scot insisted: “I said at the beginning of the tournament that I’d be able to get through seven matches if that's what I have to do. Obviously I want to try to get to the final.”

Paire said that he had tried to test Murray’s fitness in the early stages of their match by making him run for drop shots. “But he was feeling 100 per cent,” Paire said. “He was running every time on the drop shot. He was putting the ball every time where he wanted.”

The Frenchman added: “I think he has no problem. Look at him. The problem is not between the points. The match is during the point. During the point, you didn’t see any problem. Between the points we can do what we want, but during the point he can run like a rabbit.”

Konta is currently the bookmakers' favourite to win Wimbledon (Getty ) (Getty)

Paire said it was never easy to know whether Murray was carrying an injury. “I played him last year in Monte Carlo and it was the same guy against me today,” Paire said. “I think he can win Wimbledon. He has not a lot of confidence, for sure, but he can. He's No 1.”

Sam Querrey, Murray’s next opponent, has lost seven of his previous meetings with the Scot but is a proven grass-court performer and beat Novak Djokovic in the third round here last year.

“Sam obviously likes the conditions here,” Murray said. “He played really well last year. He’s had some good wins here, some tight matches as well. He’ll be confident going in.

“He has a big serve and goes for his shots. He’s a very aggressive player. Today I may be played one or two service games in the first set that weren't the best. Against him, you can't really afford that. He's not an easy guy to break.

“When he’s ahead, he can serve well. He’s a good front-runner. I'll need to make sure I'm serving well and not letting him dictate too much. When he's standing up on the baseline, hitting forehands, dictating, he's a very dangerous player.”

Paire, who in the past had said how much he disliked Wimbledon, said that he loved it now. “I wanted to change,” he said with a smile. “I wanted to have fun here in this tournament. The club is very nice, beautiful. The Centre Court is amazing.”

When it was pointed out that he had not broken any rackets during the match he smiled again. “Not today, not during all the week,” he said. “I wasn’t given any warnings – for the first time in Wimbledon, maybe in a Grand Slam. The good thing is that I didn’t have any fines. Normally when I see my prize money, it's a little bit less than I saw on the paper. Now I'm really happy. I can have a drink tonight.”