No fear: Murray reveals how to get the better of Federer
BRITAIN’S Andy Murray has revealed the secret of his superb record against 16-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer: playing without fear.
Murray triumphed over the Swiss superstar yet again on Sunday as he clinched his second title of the year at the Shanghai Masters.
That took the Scot’s head-to-head record against Federer to 8-5 in his favour, second only to Rafael Nadal in the world’s top 10.
And gutsy Murray insists that his refusal to be intimidated is the reason he often produces his best against the world No2.
“I enjoy playing him. I don’t find it easy at all. It’s incredibly difficult every time,” said the 23-year-old.
“But I love the challenge of playing against him. I don’t fear playing him. Every time I go on, I know I need to play great tennis to win against him.
“I don’t know if my game matches up well against his or not. But I’ve played some of my best tennis against Roger.”
World No4 Murray flew back to England yesterday and has almost two weeks before his next tournament, the Valencia Open, in which to reflect on a welcome return to top form.
Murray had looked out of sorts since a surprise third-round defeat to Stanislas Wawrinka at the US Open last month, his latest Grand Slam disappointment.
But he swept to a straight-sets victory over Federer on Sunday to cap a week in which he also booked his place at the ATP Tour World Finals in London next month.