Murray sets his sights on New York
Originally published on: 26/02/10 11:37
While his fans trudged towards the exits on Friday evening, British No.1 Andy Murray was already casting his mind on his next opportunity to win a Grand Slam at September’s US Open.
The world No.3, who fell to a four-set semi-final defeat at the hands of Andy Roddick, made it clear he had no intentions of dwelling on it, describing the notion as “pathetic”.
“I’ll move on very quickly and come back stronger,” said the Scot just minutes after coming off court. “It’s a pathetic attitude to lose one match and let it ruin your year. I’ve always said the US Open is my best chance and I’ll give it my best shot.”
“The last few slams that I’ve lost, I’ve come up against some guys that have played great, great tennis”
Murray had been widely anticipated to beat the American and the hype surrounding his bid to become the first British Wimbledon men’s champion in 73 years had reached fever pitch. Instead, he becomes the fourth British losing semi-finalist since Bunny Austin reached the final in 1938, joining Mike Sangster, Roger Taylor and Tim Henman.
But Murray was determined to take the positives away from his best Wimbledon performance. “I believe I can win a Grand Slam, whether it’s Wimbledon or US Open or Australia or whatever, I’m going to give myself chances.”
But the Scot was also gracious in defeat, admitting that on the form Roddick produced in the semi-final, he stood his best chance of beating Roger Federer, who has beaten the American on his two previous appearances in the final.
“If he serves like that, he’s got a chance against anyone,” said Murray. “If someone serves at 130mph consistently throughout the match, it’s very tough to break them, especially on a court like this that’s quick.”
Roddick backed Murray to win “numerous Slams” during his career, but the Scot denied his claims that the pressure of national expectation had been a factor in the defeat.
“I put pressure on myself to play well, but there weren’t moments where I felt too tight to go for my shots,” he said. “Maybe I made some mistakes I shouldn’t have in the third-set tie-break, but I don’t think I could say I wasn’t swinging freely.”
In spite of the defeat, Murray said he was happy with his grass court season.
“It’s been very good. I did better than I ever had before,” he said. “I had some very good matches. I thought I dealt with everything put in front of me. It was a good tournament.”
He also admitted that he felt unlucky to have faced players on inspired form against him at each of the Grand Slams in 2009. Murray lost to Fernando Verdasco in Melbourne and Fernando Gonzalez in Paris, both of whom, like Roddick, produced stunning displays to progress.
“The last few slams that I’ve lost, I’ve come up against some guys that have played great, great tennis,” he said. “Mentally, for me, I’ve got much better at it, understanding that guys can do that against you. That’s happened to me a few times now in Slams.
“I need to keep making sure I bring my best game to the court in every match.”
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