Aandy Murray has every right to rest on his laurels having finally ended Britain’s 76 year wait for a Grand Slam title - however, he doesn’t intend to put his feet up at all.
The super Scot beat Novak Djokovic in an epic US Open final that lasted just under five hours. Slam success came in the 25-year-old’s fifth major final and after years of built-up pressure from ever-expectant fans.
However, while some may think he deserves a break from the spotlight come Grand Slam time, Murray wants to make sure his win in New York is just the start of a big title trial.
“I want to keep improving,” the world No.3 said. “I know how it feels to win a Grand Slam and winning the Olympics.
“I think I’ll get a better feel when I get back on the court and start practising again, I’ll feel what it’s like to have a bit more belief in myself and my shots.
“I could have won Wimbledon this year, I was very close. I know if I’m in that position again, I’ll take the same chances, I’ll go for my shots again.
“A little bit more confidence and experience of taking my chances in big matches will help me.”
But for the moment Murray can lie back and bask in the glory he’s worked so hard to achieve. And he’s admitted the pressure was beginning to get to him.
“It’s (the expectation of winning a Grand Slam) something I’ve been with most weeks of my life since I was 21,” he revealed.
“It really started get to me a lot earlier this year. It wasn’t just you guys. It was everyone. A lot of people came up and said, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll win the next one’.
“It almost made it worse. I’m just glad I can move on. If I were to stop playing tennis now and retire, I’d be very happy, but five more years at the top of the game is what I will try to do, if I can stay healthy, look after my body.”
On how he’s planning to cope with his new reality, Murray added: “It’s something that will probably take a bit of getting used to. [Attention] is not something I’ve always been that comfortable with.
“I spoke to (coach) Ivan (Lendl) a couple of times during the year and he asked me,
‘What worries you?’.
“And I said that I worry what might happen if I win a major, how my life might change, because I want it to be the same.”
