Jamie Murray: Bruno’s a better doubles partner than Andy
Two-times grand slam doubles winner says chemistry is better with Brazilian
US OPEN champion Jamie Murray says his doubles chemistry with Bruno Soares is even better than with his brother Andy.
Murray and Soares won their second grand slam title of the year on Saturday as they beat Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in Flushing Meadows.
The British-Brazilian duo sealed their first major triumph at the Australian Open in January and their success in New York means they have a chance of finishing 2016 as the number one partnership in the world.
Murray now turns his attention to Britain’s Davis Cup semi-final against Argentina on Friday, when he is likely to play with younger brother Andy in the doubles rubber.
The siblings led Britain to Davis Cup glory last year for the first time in 79 years but Jamie believes his partnership with Soares is perhaps even stronger.
“It probably is easier to play with Bruno, like we talk more,” Murray said.
“Andy’s a great player. But I think Bruno and I are with each other every day. We are working on our games and communicating all the time.
“I find it easy to do that with Bruno. Obviously sometimes with Andy it’s not always so easy because great players, they do things the way they do.
“If I kind of come in and start saying, ‘I think you need to serve there or hit your return there’, they are not used to hearing that. That can be a bit problematic sometimes.
“I think for me and Bruno we are kind of on an even keel and both have the same goal.”
Murray linked up with Soares at the start of the year after splitting with Australian John Peers, with whom he had reached consecutive grand slam finals but lost at the final hurdle.
Soares brings baseline stability to Murray’s brilliance at the net and the Scot said he hopes their partnership will continue.
“Yeah, of course,” Murray said, before Soares added with a smile: “I hope so, I can’t do much more to keep him with me.”
Murray continued: “Look, we had the best year of our career, whatever way you look at it.
“Neither of us had won a grand slam before and then we came together and we have won two. So, yeah, of course, I could never disagree with that.”
Murray becomes the first British player to win the US Open doubles since Roger Taylor in 1972 and Soares is the first from the Brazil to lift the trophy.
They have endured disappointments, however, most notably at Wimbledon where they lost in the third round and, separately, at the Olympics. Jamie lost in the first round in Rio with Andy, while Soares was beaten in the quarter-finals.
“We have been good friends for a long time, me and Jamie. We get along super well,” Soares said.
“For me, it’s very important to get along off court. I can’t do this well with someone that I don’t get along well with.
“We have had an amazing year but we lost sometimes, some tough ones and with match points.
“You’ve got to be able to go to dinner with the guy after a tough loss and talk like friends. We get special moments like this, but we have brutal moments as well, so it’s impossible to do that without a friend.”
Meanwhile, Angelique Kerber insists she can cope with the pressure of being US Open champion and world No.1.
Kerber outlasted Karolina Pliskova in the final on Saturday to clinch her second grand slam title of the year, after winning her first at the Australian Open in January.
The 28-year-old also climbs above Serena Williams on Monday to become world No.1, with the American’s 186-week reign at the top ended by her defeat to Pliskova in the semi-finals.
Caroline Wozniacki, who lost to Kerber in the last four, said her opponent’s success would put “a target on her back”, but the German is confident she can handle the pressure.
“I’m ready to have this pressure on my shoulders,” Kerber said. “I think I get used to all of this, especially after my first grand slam in Australia. I had so much pressure after the title.
“To be No.1 of course now everybody will try to beat me and they have nothing to lose. I will try to take this challenge because it will be a little bit of a new situation for me.
“But in the end, I was always practising and working hard to be number one, now I can also take the next step and try to stay there as long as I can.”
If Williams can overcome a knee injury, the 22-time major champion could reclaim top spot this autumn given she has very few ranking points to defend after hardly featuring at the end of last year.
None the less, Kerber has emerged as a legitimate rival to the 34-year-old’s dominance, having become the first woman, apart from Williams, to win two grand slams in a calendar year since Justine Henin in 2007.