IT’S CHILD’S PLAY FOR MURRAY
Daddy cool ready to go for glory in Melbourne
ANDY MURRAY’S family are in Melbourne to support him in his bid for a first Australian Open title, meaning his daughter Sophia has completed a career Grand Slam before her first birthday. She has flown in with wife Kim to attend the season’s first Major, thus she will have attended all four of the Slams since her birth early last February.
It is a reminder for the world No1 that, whatever the strain of trying to stop Novak Djokovic’s winning run here, it will not be as stressful as the tournament was a year ago.
Several times, en route to his fifth Australian final, Murray seriously contemplated pulling out.
Not only was the arrival of Sophia imminent, but heavily-pregnant Kim’s father Nigel Sears collapsed during the match of the player he was coaching, Ana Ivanovic, and had to be rushed to hospital.
‘I didn’t expect to be in the position I’m in now, coming back as world No1,’ said Murray, whose brother Jamie lost in the final of the Apia International Sydney doubles yesterday alongside Bruno Soares, 6-3, 7-5 to Dutch duo Wesley Koolhof and Matwe Middelkoop.
‘It was a tough tournament 12 months ago,’ added Murray. ‘There were times when I was thinking I wanted to go home.
‘It was like I want to be at home for the birth, but then I’m not just going to leave while my father-in-law is in hospital. It was not a position I’d put myself in again, or my family.
‘Sophia is here. Last year she came to New York and was in Paris a little bit. She’s done a lot of travelling actually. She has done Miami, Vienna, she came to Rome, Monte Carlo, Paris, the US Open.’
So it is far more settled Murray as he tries to go one better than his five previous efforts that have seen him finish runner-up.
He is at ease with being world No1 and the only discomfort seems to be the instruction of host broadcasters Channel Seven to refer to him as Sir Andy Murray. ‘I’m more than happy just being Andy,’ he added.
He begins tomorrow (in the early hours UK time) against world No93 Ilya Marchenko of Ukraine.
When it comes to keeping hold of No1, the simple equation is he needs to make the semi-final or better. That will prevent Djokovic from overhauling him even if the Serb were to win a seventh title here.
Murray believes the presence of coach Ivan Lendl, with him for the past week, will be crucial.
‘That’s why having someone like Ivan on my team, who has been in that position before and knows what it’s like, has been important. I need to keep improving. I need to keep working hard.
‘It is a mindset thing, because it could be quite easy that once you get to No1 you think, “well, actually I just need to keep doing what I’m doing”.
‘The reality is, in sport, that things keep moving on, the game will get better, I’ll obviously get older, the young guys will improve, and also Novak and Roger and Stan and Rafa and the guys at the top are still going to want to get there.’
He is in the position now where anything less than holding the trophy two weeks from today will be a disappointment. But he is bullish.
‘The way last season finished makes me confident. I think I’m in a decent position to do it. Obviously nothing’s guaranteed, but why not? I’m playing well.’
The bookmakers cannot make up their minds. If it was anywhere else you would say Murray based on form, but Djokovic’s record here is so outstanding he probably edges it.
The players say the court speed is quicker this year, which may change things. There is also seriously hot weather predicted, in the high 30s.
The court speed will please Roger Federer, playing in his first official event since Wimbledon and knee problems. But Federer is not used to comebacks, unlike Rafael Nadal.
Another returning is the volcanic Nick Kyrgios, although in his case it is down to him having served a ban for tanking in Shanghai.
All this means that the next two weeks will not be just the Murray and Djokovic show.
Meanwhile, like Jamie Murray, Britain’s Dan Evans fell at the last in the Apia International Sydney, in what was his first ATP Tour final.
Evans, 26, led 4-2 in the first set tie-break but eventually lost out 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 to Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller.