UNITED KINGDOM: TENNIS - Andy Murray looks ahead to the defence of his Wimbledon title
Record ID:
567116
UNITED KINGDOM: TENNIS - Andy Murray looks ahead to the defence of his Wimbledon title
- Title: UNITED KINGDOM: TENNIS - Andy Murray looks ahead to the defence of his Wimbledon title
- Date: 22nd June 2014
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (JUNE 22, 2014) (REUTERS) 2013 WIMBLEDON MEN'S CHAMPION ANDY MURRAY WALKS IN TO NEWS CONFERENCE REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANDY MURRAY SAYING: "I think she will help me. I've really enjoyed the last 10 days I've spent on the court with her, it's been great if it helps sort of bring more female coaches into men's sport, and women's sport. There's not that many female coaches on the women's side either, that's a good thing because there's absolutely no reason why someone like Amelie (Mauresmo) can't help me. It's possible it doesn't work, it's nothing to do with whether she's a woman or not, that's not why it will work or not work, that's what I feel about it." PHOTOGRAPHER (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANDY MURRAY SAYING: "I think she was someone who struggled with nerves and conquered them later in her career which I think when you start to coach someone you can help more than someone who hasn't had those issues before. She understands the psychological part of the game, maybe more than some because of that. In terms of what she's like, her game style, she had quite a creative game style, she used a lot of spins, slices, she came to the net, good variety in her game, that's something I've always tried to use during my career so I think she can help with that." NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANDY MURRAY SAYING: "I think that's one of the reasons why I normally feel nervous before these events is because that I know to win or to go far you need to play great tennis. When I understand that in my head I get the nerves and I focus better on what I need to do. So I believe if I play my best tennis I give myself a chance of doing well here, putting myself in a position to win the tournament." NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANDY MURRAY SAYING: "I think I handled them fairly well, this has been my most consistent tournament throughout my career. I haven't lost before the semis for a few years, I always play pretty good tennis here, I maybe could have played a bit better in the latter stages of the event in some of the years but I feel in terms of handling the pressure, there was a lot of it, I did okay. Last year was, the final was, definitely the most pressure I felt in all the years I played here and I managed to come through it, that comes with age and experience." NEWS CONFERENCE WIMBLEDON SIGN 2013 WIMBLEDON WOMEN'S CHAMPION MARION BARTOLI AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) MARION BARTOLI SAYING: "I think it's absolutely amazing to see a guy, one of the top players in the world, is hiring a woman to coach him. That is showing also the next generation that it's moving on, a woman can actually coach some guys. It's been the case in football already and now it's coming to tennis, that's really a huge step forward." NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) MARION BARTOLI SAYING: "Actually it feels different of course but it feels great coming back as the defending champion. I really enjoy those two weeks, I knew when I announced my retirement last year I would not be able to defend my title this year but it's just an amazing moment coming back, seeing all those flashbacks from last year, all those pictures around and having my name engraved in gold on the champions board is just absolutely amazing. I feel extremely honoured and quite proud to be honest, yes it is very emotional for sure." REPORTERS END OF NEWS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 7th July 2014 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: United Kingdom
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA7LP0SO5KV1QW3R5DADXGQORQB
- Story Text: Defending men's champion Andy Murray explained on Sunday (June 22) why he went against convention by deciding to work with coach Amelie Mauresmo.
Murray ended his professional involvement with Ivan Lendl, after winning two grand slam titles with him, and surprised many by electing to work with the Frenchwoman.
Former Wimbledon champion Mauresmo will return to the All England Club on Monday (June 23) as the only female coach working with one of the men's singles seeds - and the reigning champion at that.
Initially Mauresmo, who also won the Australian Open and topped the world rankings, is working with Murray on a trial basis and the next couple of weeks may decide whether the partnership becomes long-term.
"I think she will help me. I've really enjoyed the last 10 days I've spent on the court with her, it's been great if it helps sort of bring more female coaches into men's sport, and women's sport there's not that many female coaches on the women's side either, that's a good thing because there's absolutely no reason why someone like Amelie can't help me. It's possible it doesn't work, it's nothing to do with whether she's a woman or not, that's not why it will work or not work, that's what I feel about it," said Murray at a news conference.
Mauresmo overcame a problem with nerves in her playing days and Murray believes her experience of the mental aspect of the game can benefit him.
"I think she was someone who struggled with nerves and conquered them later in her career which I think when you start to coach someone you can help more than someone who hasn't had those issues before," he said.
"She understands the psychological part of the game, maybe more than some because of that. In terms of what she's like, her game style, she had quite a creative game style, she used a lot of spins, slices, she came to the net, good variety in her game, that's something I've always tried to use during my career so I think she can help with that."
Murray believes that any nerves he feels before a big tournament work in his favour.
"I think that's one of the reasons why I normally feel nervous before these events is because that I know to win or to go far you need to play great tennis. When I understand that in my head I get the nerves and I focus better on what I need to do. So I believe if I play my best tennis I give myself a chance of doing well here, putting myself in a position to win the tournament."
Murray has always played under pressure at Wimbledon but his win last year proved that he can handle the expectations put on him.
"This has been my most consistent tournament throughout my career. I haven't lost before the semis for a few years, I always play pretty good tennis here, I maybe could have played a bit better in the latter stages of the event in some of the years but I feel in terms of handling the pressure, there was a lot of it, I did okay. Last year was, the final was definitely the most pressure I felt in all the years I played here and I managed to come through it, that comes with age and experience," he said.
Marion Bartoli, who beat Sabine Lisicki in last year's final but has since retired, also worked with compatriot Mauresmo for a while having been coached throughout her career by her father Walter.
"I think it's absolutely amazing to see a guy, one of the top players in the world, is hiring a woman to coach him. That is showing also the next generation that it's moving on, a woman can actually coach some guys. It's been the case in football already and now it's coming to tennis, that's really a huge step forward," she said.
Bartoli retired shortly after lifting the women's trophy last year due to a persistent shoulder injury, however she said she was happy to be watching this time around.
"Actually it feels different of course but it feels great coming back as the defending champion. I really enjoy those two weeks, I knew when I announced my retirement last year I would not be able to defend my title this year but it's just an amazing moment coming back, seeing all those flashbacks from last year, all those pictures around and having my name engraved in gold on the champions board is just absolutely amazing. I feel extremely honoured and quite proud to be honest, yes it is very emotional for sure," she said.
All eyes will be on Murray and his new coach when he takes on Belgium's David Goffin on Monday. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None