There is still the best part of five weeks of the clay-court season to endure, but behind Andy Murray yesterday the temporary stands at Queen’s Club were being constructed to welcome its most powerful collection of tennis stars yet. The AEGON Championship trophy he defends next month was placed in front of him, a portent of polished times ahead, he believes.
Tomorrow, having planted his cross on a voting slip in a General Election for the first time — “The political debates have had me pretty much hooked,” he said — Murray heads off to the first of four tournaments where success for the British No 1 would help tennis to win a share of newsprint and air time during the nation’s fixation with the football World Cup.
The Mutua Madrileña Masters opens in Madrid next week, there are a few days’ rest before the French Open, back to Queen’s Club for his first grass-court defence, enduring the intensity of Wimbledon preliminaries that can exhaust a British prospect, and then it is time for the Championships themselves. It is a punishing schedule, particularly if he decides to play in the Davis Cup for Great Britain against Turkey the next weekend.
Honed and toned, Murray looked and acted yesterday as if he had not a care in the world. Those who follow him may be fretting at his lack of tournament endurance since reaching the Australian Open final in January, but his words had the effect of balm.“I’m not worried at all,” he said. “I’d rather have played more recently, but there were eight weeks between the tour finals last year and the Australian Open and I reached the final. I took five weeks off after Wimbledon last year and won Montreal. The year before that I took five weeks after the US Open and won Madrid and St Petersburg. It’s all about practising and training properly, and being in the best shape, because that’s what gives me confidence, by hitting thousands of balls. I am a good player, I know that.
“Since I was young I’ve known how to win and the right way for me to play, which has worked against the top players. I have a winning record against Federer, although the grand slams haven’t gone my way, I’ve won the last three times against Djokovic and against Nadal. I didn’t start very well [against Nadal] when I was younger, but since going 5-0 down, in the last five matches it’s been 3-2 to me.
“I will stick to the way I play because that’s the way I enjoy tennis. I recall being told by a coach at around 13 that, though people were saying I needed to be more aggressive, I should keep doing what I was doing but get stronger because then I would hit the ball harder. I need to improve my service speed and get bigger and therefore my ground strokes will be heavier with the same amount of effort I put in.”
The subject turned to football, and the World Cup and England. Murray, mindful of being trapped the last time he was asked about their prospects, answered in a manner that suggested the Scot may have a future in politics. “When England play in the World Cup and concede a goal, I’m not jumping up in front of the TV because I’m happy they are losing,” he said. “If one of my English friends is watching and England score, he’ll be on his feet yelling and screaming and, though I’m happy, it’s not the same sort of passion.
“If England lost, my friends will be deflated and disappointed and I will be, too. But I’m not cheering whoever England’s opponents are. That’s absolute ****.” Subject closed.
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