IT’LL BE A CLOSE SHAVE BUT I CAN GO ALL THE WAY
FROM MIKE WALTERS TWO-TIME champion Sir Andy Murray says it would be his “best achievement” to win another Olympic title after landing a tough draw in Tokyo.
Murray, who won back-toback gold medals at London 2012 and in Rio five years ago, promised to be carried out on his shield when he defends his crown here.
Drawn against No.9 seed Felix Auger-aliassime – who beat Muzza comprehensively at the US Open last year (below) – the last king of Scotland insisted another medal was attainable, saying: “I still believe I can do that, I still believe it’s possible.”
And he revealed that a pep talk given to him by his own daughter after he was knocked out of Wimbledon helped him believe in his chances.
“When I got home, my daughter said to me, ‘Daddy, you’re home because you lost another tennis match?’
“I said, ‘Yeah, I did – but what do you do when you lose at something?’ And she said, ‘You try and try again?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s what I want to do.’”
It will be a thankless task for Murray to make headway at the Tokyo Games after winning consecutive matches at a Grand Slam for the first time in four years at Wimbledon.
He said: “That’s the goal, to try to win another medal, although I’m aware it’s not going to be easy and I’m in a slightly different position to four or five years ago, when I would have been expected to get one.
“For me, it would probably be my best achievement after everything that’s gone on in the last few years. I’m motivated to do well for that reason alone.
“This could be the last Olympics for me, so I want to go out there and leave everything on the court.
“Ultimately, that’s all you can do because you can never guarantee how you are going to perform in matches.
“But you can control your attitude, your effort levels and how well you prepare.
“For me, the Olympics has been one of the highlights of my career. Carrying the flag in Rio was also incredibly special and the Olympics has given me some of the best memories of my career.
“I guess within tennis circles a Wimbledon title might be considered more important, but in a wider sporting context people who don’t follow tennis understand what an Olympic gold medal is.”
Canadian Auger-aliassime, who is just 20, reached the last eight at Wimbledon earlier this month.
The draw could have been kinder to a 34-year-old hampered by injuries and surgery since his thrilling gold medal duel with Juan Martin del Potro in Rio, but Muzza has taken it on the chin.
He said: “If you want to win medals you have to beat top players. I’ve prepared mentally for that, and if you can get past a top player early that can open up the draw a little bit.”