Andy Murray's mind games ahead of US Open

Sunday 26 August 2012

As if Andy Murray did not have enough rivals in one of the toughest eras of men's tennis, now his mind has started playing tricks on him.

The Scot will begin his US Open campaign against Russia's Alex Bogomolov on Monday having put himself firmly alongside Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic at the top of the pile with his Olympic gold medal and Wimbledon final appearance this summer.

Losing to Roger Federer in his first Wimbledon final was undoubtedly a painful experience, as demonstrated by Murray's tears on Centre Court, but he avenged the defeat in the best possible fashion by thrashing the Swiss in the Olympic gold medal match. It was the biggest win of the 25-year-old's career, but no sooner had he had the gold medal hung around his neck than he was off to Toronto for a Masters Series tournament and now, three weeks later, he is about to start his latest bid for grand slam silverware. The tennis schedule, particularly in an Olympic year, ensures there is no time to dwell on success, but Murray's mind made sure the memory did not fade too soon. The world number four said: "Four days after Wimbledon I dreamt I won Wimbledon, and I woke up in the morning and I was just starting to feel better. That didn't help. "Then a few days after the Olympics, I dreamt that I lost in the final of the Olympics. Obviously waking up remembering that I had won was nice. That was when I was in Toronto. "So you think about it a lot. But the thing with tennis I think especially is of course we have tournaments and things to look forward to in the not too distant future. "Once you start getting on the match court again, you never forget about it, but that feeling is a bit different. You're nervous going into matches and preparing for events. That takes your mind off what happened a few weeks ago." Murray has always loved New York. He made his breakthrough by winning the junior US Open title in 2004 and reached his first senior grand slam final here in 2008, where Federer again proved too strong. But the city can also be a distraction and Murray is planning to have as quiet a time as possible outside of his matches, trying to replicate his routine at Wimbledon, where he spends most of his time at home in Surrey. The 25-year-old said: "It can be challenging. The other grand slams are very different. "I'm staying in a quieter hotel than usual this time and just trying to make sure I don't spend too much time around the courts, because it can be very busy, quite loud at the courts, especially the first week. "So I'm just trying to get out of here as quickly as possible and just relax in the evenings, and not spend too much time out and about. That's the key for me." There is one less obstacle in Murray's way this time with Rafael Nadal, his conqueror in the semi-finals last year, missing the tournament with a knee injury. It does not exactly open up the Scot's path, though, given he could not have met Nadal until the final anyway and may well have to beat both Federer and Djokovic to win the title. The Spaniard's absence is a blow to the tournament and Murray added: "I think tennis misses him, that's for sure. "But I still think the tournament will do well. I'm sure the crowds will still be very good. Tennis I think is in a very good place just now. "But I think tournaments definitely miss him because he brings something different to a lot of the players on the tour in terms of his character and his personality and the way he is on the court. The energy he brings to the match court is incredible." Murray will be second on Arthur Ashe Stadium tomorrow against Bogomolov while fellow British players Heather Watson and Laura Robson also play their first matches. British number one Watson has a tough task against ninth seed and former French Open champion Li Na first up on Court 17 while 18-year-old Robson faces an even younger opponent in 17-year-old America qualifier Samantha Crawford in the third match on Court Four.

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Andy Murray's mind games ahead of US Open

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