Page added on August 27, 2009



Email this to a friendEmail This Post Email This Post                      Printable versionPrint This Post Print This Post

Murray out to make American dream a reality

Roger Federer may be top seed and world No.1, but Andy Murray claims he is the man to beat at next week’s US Open.

The super Scot got to the final at Flushing Meadows last year, losing in straight sets to Federer. But the season’s last Grand Slam has long been seen as Murray’s best chance of finally winning a big one.

Since his defeat in New York 12 months ago, Murray has gone from strength to strength, winning five tournaments, two of them Masters events. That form has been the reason why his ranking has soared to an all-time best No.2 in the world. And he now sees winning a Slam as his number one priority, and the Brit is going to pull out all the stops to ensure he smashes his way to success in the Big Apple.

“The Slam is the last thing I need to do. I believe that I can do it,” Murray said.

“I believe that if I play well, I can obviously win the tournament. I put a lot of pressure on myself to do it.

“At 22, I feel like I’ve achieved quite a lot for my age.

“I got to my highest ranking at two, won a lot of the second tier tournaments.

“This year I equalled my best result in Australia (last 16), did two rounds better than I ever did at the French (quarter-finals).”

Having done better than ever in this year’s Slams - he got to the semis at Wimbledon last month - Murray goes into the US Open with as much confidence as anyone. That’s because it’s a tournament he loves, in a place where he feels at home. Murray won the US Open junior title in 2004. And he said: “That’s what I love about the US Open, the atmosphere.

“The tennis is great. It’s very different from the other Slams, the night sessions and the centre court - I think it’s the best court in tennis. It’s massive.”
Murray feels comfortable on the fast hardcourts in New York, and took away only positive memories and confidence from last year’s march to a straight-sets final defeat by Swiss sensation Federer.

“Last year, it was great,” he said, despite some unlucky scheduling and rain that interrupted his semi-final against Rafael Nadal.

“It was the first time I played in a Slam final.

“I love it, I’ve loved playing there since I was young. I really enjoy New York City. “There’s so much energy there. Hopefully, I’ll play well.”

Meanwhile, as Murray was talking up his chances, former world No.1 Nadal, left, was busy playing down his own.

The star Spaniard would become only the fourth man to win a career Grand Slam in the open era if he were to win in New York.

However, persistent knee trouble has wrecked most of the left-hander’s season so far. And having only just returned to the courts after the three-month break, Nadal is in no mood to predict how he, and his dodgy knee, will hold up over the next two weeks at Flushing Meadows.

“We will see how I am physically to play the five set matches,” Nadal said.

“I know when I am playing well I can play at this level. But you only can win against these top players when you are playing your best tennis.”

 

Categorized | Sports News

Tags : , , , , , , , , , ,

Related Posts :

Bookmark and Share

You must be logged in to post a comment.





RELATED STORIES



LATEST NEWS HEADLINES

ALSO IN THE NEWS

I would love to do a Lankan film, says Jacqueline Fernandez Thumbnail I would love to do a Lankan film, says Jacqueline Fernandez

It’s already beyond repair. It’s better that I get a new set for myself,” says the former Miss Sri Lanka as we sat down in her vanity van for an interview.

MORE STORIES

Zarine Khan’s fight against the flab Thumbnail Zarine Khan’s fight against the flab

Metrolife

Metrolife Latest Metrolife Headlines

Health News

Health News Latest Health News Headlines

MORE NEWS HEADLINES


JanuBaba.net
Online Newspapers
My Zimbio
Politics
Top Politics blogs On our way to 1,000,000 rss feeds - millionrss.com