TENNIS US OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
HIS BODY was immensely tired but Andy Murray's eyes blazed. "I don't want to be remembered for losing in the final of the US Open," he said. "I want to win one of these tournaments and I'm going to try my hardest to do it."
The match against Roger Federer had been a match too far, one in which by his own admission Murray had always played second fiddle, notwithstanding the lack of a call when a shot from the Swiss was clearly out as the Scot strained for a double break in the second set. But it was fantastic effort over the fortnight, underscoring his potential for winning a slam and erasing all those "not since Fred Perry" lines.
"I think I can play well in Australia and at Wimbledon too. The French is a bit of a long shot right now but I'll work on my clay-court game - if I do want to go higher in the rankings it is going to need to get much better. I think I'll have a chance at any Australian Open or Wimbledon but I still think this is my best chance here."
Murray loves everything about New York, and he is very much a person who has to feel good about his surroundings and those who surround him. He was rarely at ease when Brad Gilbert was his coach but Team Murray currently suits him perfectly.
"He needs to feel comfortable with those immediately around him," said his mother, Judy. It was a thoroughly relaxed, if weary, Murray who talked about the road ahead a few hours after losing his first grand slam final 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 against a player he regards as the "greatest ever".
The 21-year-old knows this is the first stepping stone, the launch pad to becoming the first British male player since Perry here in 1936 to win a major. "I was effectively three sets away from winning a slam, which is much closer than this time last year," he said.
"I've worked very hard to get to this stage, so winning a slam is really the only goal I have left. I'm going to have work even harder, improve my game and get physically stronger if I'm going to do that."
Murray had deliberately cut himself off from all the hype surrounding the final. "I've not turned my computer on at all since I've been here and I've just got a new phone as well so not too many people have my number. I've kind of been a bit shielded from it all, but I'm sure when I get back I'll have a better understanding of everything. "You have to be boring for a few weeks just to be professional and do all the right things, take all the other elements out of the game and just focus on tennis for a couple of weeks."
Without doubt he will receive a hero's reception when Britain play Austria in a Davis Cup world group qualifying match starting a week this Friday on Wimbledon's number one court.
Murray is now number four in the world, joining Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in an elite quartet at the top of the game.
Beating Nadal for the first time in the protracted semi-final, after five previous defeats to the Spaniard, was the highlight for Murray. "It was the biggest achievement for me in such a big match, particularly with the rain and then being down in the fourth set as well. I just think that was mentally huge for me. In the past I might not necessarily have come back from that and I did. I played aggressive and took the ball on and did what I had to do to win.
"I got killed by Djokovic quite a few times as well and it's only been recently that I've understood how to play against him and figured out how to beat the top guys. This year I've beaten Federer, Djokovic, Nadal, Davydenko, Wawrinka and they are all in the top 10. I guess I just need to do it in the big tournaments now, and this was the first time I've done it."
Few doubt that he will do it again.
Guardian Service
