Andy Murray’s rise above self-doubt

By his own admission, Andy Murray had almost stopped dreaming this day would come. He won the US Open Championship recently. His greatest triumph had, in fact, delivered him from a rather lonely place. “In some ways, I was preparing for it never to happen, to never win a Slam,” Murray confessed. “I would say I could live with it if I didn’t, but in some ways that was me preparing for the worst. I always felt when I was younger that I would win one, but the older I got, and after the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year, to come so close in two matches, you start to doubt. “I questioned myself more before this match than any I have played, probably in two years. It felt such a big one for me. Right up until a few minutes before I went to play, I was sitting in the locker room thinking, ‘What if I lose this? No one’s ever lost their first five finals.’ I just didn’t want to be that person. ‘Am I able to do this? It’s going to be tough.’ Matches against Novak [Djokovic] always hurt. Physically, it’s challenging. “The Olympics were huge for me, the biggest week of my life, but even after winning the gold medal, I was still asked about when I would get a Slam. And when it went to the fifth set here, that Olympics victory wasn’t something I was thinking about. Playing for a Grand Slam, something I haven’t won before, my mentality wasn’t, ‘Well, I won the Olympics, so today is going to be a breeze.’ I was very nervous.” In times of trouble, Murray turns to his coach, Ivan Lendl. An unsmiling, hard man and eight-time Grand Slam winner whose career began with four major final defeats, Lendl is credited with transforming Murray’s mental approach in nine months. He was no use whatsoever. “I spoke to Ivan about how I was feeling, and he said, ‘Just enjoy it,’” Murray recalled. “I said I couldn’t. He said, ‘Why not? It’s what you work all of your life for.’ I said, ‘That’s the problem. I’ve worked all my life. I’ve worked ten years. How can I enjoy it?’ We tried to take some attention from the match, but it wasn’t easy. He knew I was edgy. The locker room was so quiet.” You know the rest. Murray goes 2-0 up, stands on the shoulder of giants; Djokovic comes back to 2-2; the world wearily envisages fifth-set heartbreak for Murray; somehow he rallies to win in just under five hours. “Not everyone sees what goes on away from the court in terms of the training that you do and, I guess, the physical suffering,” Murray said. “The stuff you put your body through on a weekly basis to try and prepare for those moments of playing four and a half hours at high intensity. Sometimes you question whether it’s all worth it — and I have done that a few times — but after the summer I have had, you realise it is. “I proved I can last more than four hours and come out on top against one of the strongest guys tennis has ever seen. “I was questioned when I was younger. It was said I didn’t work hard enough, wasn’t mentally strong enough or didn’t listen to my coaches. You know, I always listened. I was just very immature on court. I won’t doubt myself physically or mentally from now on, though.” From GN