Murray hopes for Hopman boost

 

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

Murray is the two-time defending champion at the Qatari season-opener, however, he has opted to miss the event and fly to Australia early to acclimatise to the conditions Down Under. The 22-year-old Scot will instead compete at the Hopman Cup in Perth – a mixed-team event that will see him play alongside rising teenage talent Laura Robson.

Murray, who will arrive in Australia straight from his warm-weather training base in Miami later this week, told the official tournament programme: “I am looking forward to getting to Australia early and making sure I’m over the jet lag and fully ready.”

He added: “What I did before, going to Doha in the first week of the year, you play every match at night and it is cold.

“(In the past) I was coming back from Miami and going to Scotland for a few days over Christmas, so I was spending three or four weeks training in the heat, coming back to Scotland where it’s cold, going to Doha where it’s cold and then go to Australia and have five days to get used to the heat again.

“I think this way will work much better.”

Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt, who will partner Sam Stosur as the top-ranked team in Perth, echoed Murray’s thoughts that a change of plan could help the Scot’s chances of breaking his grand slam duck.

“He always plays well in Doha, but I suppose this way he gets used to the conditions here a bit earlier,” said Hewitt.

“It could work for him. Doha’s a great tournament to play, but I can understand his thoughts behind it.”

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