Thursday, December 27, 2012

Murray Preparation Perfect for Australia Challenge

Murray Preparation Perfect for Australia Challenge

Andy Murray’s winter training ahead of his assault on the Australian Open next January has been the most intense and focussed yet, following his 2012 success that showcased just how good this 25-year-old really is.

According to his mother, Judy, winning two Olympic medals and the US Open last year – as well as reaching the final of Wimbledon – has given the Scot confidence over the winter break that he can mount a serious challenge on all four Grand Slams in 2013, starting with Australia.

“[His success has] given him a lot of confidence,” Judy told BBC Sport. “He’s worked even harder than before to go after another Slam in Australia.

“He leaves on Christmas night to go to Abu Dhabi to play in an exhibition event and then on to Brisbane for the warm-up tournament before the Australian Open.”

This busy end-of-December schedule proves just how seriously Murray is taking his winter preparations, with the Australian Open 2013 odds expecting him to come good at Melbourne.

His focus was evident at the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year awards earlier this month, where Murray held an interview via video link from his training camp in Miami. He is at such an elite stage of his sport that he cannot sacrifice the loss of training, flight conditions and jetlag to make events he most probably would want to attend.

His performance at the US Open exposed Murray as a focussed, determined and unyielding individual who knows what it takes to be successful in this game. This is why, while fans settle down to Christmas leftovers for the next week, Murray will be playing hard in Abu Dhabi and Brisbane.

Should he succeed over the next fortnight – especially in Brisbane – there is no reason to believe this resolute 25-year-old cannot take Melbourne, leading the way to further majors in 2013; the tennis odds certainly favour the young Scot.


Photo Source: PacificCoastNews.com