DRINK IT ALL IN
Mauresmo tells Andy to defend his title with joy
AMELIE Mauresmo has urged Andy Murray to bask in the glory of walking back into Wimbledon as defending champion when he begins his bid to regain the title on Monday.
Murray admitted he has no idea what to expect when Wimbledon starts, but is determined to enjoy his status as SW19 title-holder.
The Scot will learn his prospective path back to what would be a third straight final when the draw is made this morning, although the one thing he knows is that he will open proceedings on Centre Court at 1pm on Monday.
The 27- year- old picked cked new coach Mauresmo’s brain ain about how to handle the pressure essure of defending his title over r dinner on Wednesday night. Murray said for mer Wimbledon c hampion i on Mauresmo has already dy made her mark, after he dispatched Tommy y Robredo in straight sets s at the Hurlingham Club.
‘I chatted to her about it last night, we had dinner,’ said Murray, after his 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) vi ctory in t he BNP P Paribas Tennis Classic c yesterday.
‘As well though it’s imporortant at the beginning, when hen you go out and walk onto o the court, to try to enjoy that at feeling, because it’s something hing I’ve never experienced before, e, it will be a proud moment to come me back as defending champion.
‘But then when you start playing the match, you need to treat it like any other tennis match and get down to business, focus on the tactics and what you need to do to try to come through.
‘But it’s important to try to enjoy experiences like that, because they don’t happen often. I don’t know how it will feel, I have no idea, I’m sure I’ll be nervous and will feel some pressure, but I’ll try to enjoy it, it’s a new experience for me.
‘It’s not often that happens now, there aren’t many situations I haven’t been in, after nine or 10 years on the tour, so that will be nice.’
Murray became the first men’s Grand Slam winner to appoint a female coach, prompting mixed reactions from his peers.
The Olympic champion said he has enjoyed his short stint with former world No 1 Mauresmo so far.
‘I’ve really enjoyed working with Amelie, I’ve really enjoyed being on the court with her,’ said Murray.
‘She understands the game well obviously, she’s also been in the position before coming back as defending champion at Wimbledon. She’s been very good so far and I’ve enjoyed it.
‘Queen’s didn’t really count as a tournament that we spent together because she arrived on Tuesday afternoon and I played my first match on Wednesday, and we practised for 30 minutes.
‘From her side she’s just getting to know me, getting to know the guys that I work with, and how we operate. Then these last few days we’ve had time on the court, some peace and quiet to work on some things and to try to get ready for the start of the tournament.
‘It’s important to enjoy practising and having fun on the court with your coach, and that’s been the case in the last four days.’
Murray eased past Robredo at Hurlingham, shrugging off his lacklustre third- round exit at Queen’s Club the previous week.
Radek Stepanek forced Murray to relinquish his Aegon title in Kensington, but the two-time Grand Slam winner looked far more comfortable in Fulham.
Wimbledon’s top seed Novak Djokovic withdrew from action at Boodles, prompting suggestions of a recurrence of the wrist injury that ruled him out of the Madrid Masters.
No 3 seed Murray admitted relief at approaching Wimbledon with no injury worries whatsoever — a rarity after fretting for so long about his back.
‘The way I now feel after surgery, it gives me a lot of confidence, because my back was giving me a lot of trouble for a long time,’ he said.
‘Now I’m just happy not to have to worry about it on a daily basis.
‘It’s something I have to always monitor throughout my career and look after but I’m not waking up in the morning worrying about how I’m going to feel. That was the case for a while before surgery.
‘ I feel pretty good, the l ast couple of days I’ve been moving well. I moved OK at Queen’s but I’ve started moving well over the last few days. I’ve practised with (Jo-Wilfried) Tsonga, (Grigor) Dimitrov, and then obviously it was to get a good match here, so I’ve spent quite a lot of time on the courts and I’m feeling good.’