'I could probably do with some sun and a bit of time away'

Chief Sports Writer

Tuesday 10 July 2012

THE defeated hero will spend this morning checking flight timetables to the USA or to a European hotspot.

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Hugh MacDonald

Andy Murray has no need to run away from anything but with Kim Sears, his partner, he will seek a refuge from the mayhem of what has been a sensational but draining fortnight.

"I might go to Miami. I might go somewhere in Europe on holiday. I could stay at home and just enjoy being at home but the weather in this country is terrible – it has been so bad – so I could probably do with getting some sun and having a bit of time away from the court," said Murray, barely an hour after giving his emotional address on Centre Court on Sunday.

With the 25-year-old Scot justifiably delaying any in-depth reflection of his defeat by Roger Federer in the men's final, it falls to observers to weigh up exactly what happened not just in three hours and 24 minutes of play on Centre Court, but what occurred before and just after an historic match.Murray accepted his silver plate for second place, then gave a speech that was so lachrymose for Scot and crowd that there should have been a call for the covers to be brought on. He walked off to be faced by his coach, Ivan Lendl, who has been superbly stable in the turmoil of Wimbledon. "He just said: 'Be proud of your efforts and the way you fought'. That was it. I only saw him for one minute when I was inside. But now is not really the time to talk about the match or whatever. But that was his reaction," said Murray.There are two substantial elements to Murray's appearance on the main stage on the biggest day for world tennis. The first is that he has changed dramatically the perception of him as a dour, surly Scot. This image could never survive any serious scrutiny but it was a prejudice held by many, and not just south of the border.Murray, self-contained and private, allowed his true personality to be revealed on Sunday in a moment of professional crisis. The tears, the graciousness, the self-deprecation and the sentimentality all combined to blow away an outdated and erroneous image.It was, though, merely a repeat of his performance after Federer defeated him at the Australian Open in 2010, but this time it was made in the most famous tennis arena of all in front of a huge television audience. The most pertinent statement may have been made in jest but it has a validity. "I'm getting closer," said Murray, referring to winning his first set in four grand-slam finals.Later he said: "I think for me the place where really anybody only judges me now is in the grand slams. That is where I need to play my best tennis and how I perform in those tournaments is how I am judged. Not in the Masters series, not the 500s or at Queen's. "I knew that in Australia that I performed well and lost a tough one against Novak [Djokovic, in the semi-final in January]. I felt I was still improving in the last few months, just maybe had the back injury, that didn't help. But I am still improving."Of the triumvirate of Djokovic, Federer and Rafael Nadal, he said: "Those guys are improving too but there is not that big a gap."The truism that margins are slim was obvious on Sunday. Murray won the first set with conviction and dominated the second but lost it. The match then drifted away from him, with Federer sensing his opportunity and taking it with his mixture of technical beauty and unflinching competitiveness.Murray was desolate in the aftermath of his fourth final defeat but this observer stubbornly believes the Scot is not only improving as a player but that defeat on Centre Court did not invalidate his credentials as a potential grand-slam winner.The improvement in the Murray game is undeniable. He has a better second serve and his first serve is a fearsome weapon when in the groove. His returning is peerless and his cross-court backhand can be unanswerable. His strategies throughout the tournament were well developed and well executed. He was focused, determined and prevailed in moments of crisis.Much has been made of avoiding Nadal in the semi-final, but Murray kept his head against the booming serve of Ivo Karlovic, overcame the magnificent David Ferrer when a set and a break down, and resisted the charges of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. These performances are all fuel for optimism and the link with Lendl has been highly beneficial. The Czech has been typically quiet and undemonstrative in the players' box and on the practice court but he has been strongly influential.There has been a sense of certainty about Murray as he went about his business at Wimbledon. For all his travails in the earlier rounds, this observer always believed he was headed for the final. He lost there to the best player ever to pick up a tennis racket. There is no consolation in this for Murray as he plays to win and he works almost obsessively to grab that career-defining major.However, on a beach in Miami or Spain or wherever, he may reflect that Wimbledon 2012 was not another dead end but perhaps a twist in the road to his ultimate goal. Sport scoffs at predictions, but Murray is a genuine contender who still comes out swinging. He may yet land the knockout blow.

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'I could probably do with some sun and a bit of time away'

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