Beaten Murray goes back to the drawing board
CRESTFALLEN Andy Murray is set to take a few weeks off as he tries to figure out how to avoid becoming a perennial Grand Slam nearly-man.
Murray’s latest bid to end his wait for a major title died at Wimbledon on Friday when eventual winner Rafael Nadal overpowered him in straight sets.
It was the fourth time the Briton (right) had reached the last four of a Grand Slam without going on to lift the trophy, and the second year in succession in front of a home crowd.
Now, with more than a month until his next scheduled competitive match, he plans to take a holiday in North America to mull over how to hone his game further.
One measure said to be under consideration is ditching his coach, Miles Maclagan, although Murray believes there are other steps he needs to take.
“I need to believe, that’s the most important thing,” he said yesterday.
“That’s what I’m working towards, but it hasn’t happened yet and it’s not going to be given to me.
“I’ll need to beat one or two of the greatest players of all time if I want to do it probably and I need to get better if I want to do that. I’m hoping I’ve still got quite a few years left at the top of the game, playing great tennis. I need to go away and work harder and get better. That’s all I can do. It was a good tournament and it was nice to be back playing good tennis.”
The 23-year-old is not expected to compete again until the Rogers Cup in Toronto on 9 August, which will signal the beginning of his preparation for the US Open, which begins three weeks later.
Murray has worked with Maclagan since 2007 but is said to be considering swapping him for Australian Darren Cahill, who has coached Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt.