Murray puts grand slam bid before Christmas

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 12:57

And the British number one has revealed he will even spend Christmas Day with his trainer Miles Maclagan in a bid to ensure he is in the best possible form for the new year.

“I always felt I could start playing my best tennis between 23 and 26, so I’m hoping next year is going to be a good year,” said Murray, 22. “I got to number two in the world this year. I won more tournaments than I did last year and my consistency was way better. The difference in the rankings is winning a grand slam, which is easier said than done, but I think I’ve got a chance of doing it next year.”

He added: “Within tennis, it’s important for me to do it. But there are a lot more things for me to worry about than just a grand slam.

“I’m going to work as hard as I can and dedicate as much of my time to it as possible. If it happens, it happens.

“If it doesn’t, I’ll feel like I’m giving it my best shot by working as hard as I can. If I’m good enough to win one, then I’ll do it. If not, I won’t. But I’m going to try my best.”

Reflecting on a busy year, which saw him become the first Brit to triumph at Queen’s Club since 1938 and also reach the semi-finals of Wimbledon, Murray said: “This year went well. There were certain things I would like to have done a bit better.

“You can’t really just look at one tournament because it’s 11 months long, so you have to focus on the year as a whole and it went really well.

“I’ll obviously try to do better next year and that’s one of the reasons why I’m spending Christmas over in the States and going over to Australia; it’s to make sure I’m in the best shape possible going into the grand slams.

“I’m only going to be with my coach on Christmas Day and he’s a little bit of a Scrooge, so I’m not sure I’ll be getting too many presents!”

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