Greg Rusedski tells The Tennis Space how Andy Murray is now “at peace with himself”. Rusedski, who is commentating on the Australian Open for British Eurosport HD, believes that the US Open champion “suddenly feels good about himself”. . Rusedski on Murray finding mental peace: “You can already see that he’s more relaxed. He’s much more open and giving now, willing to talk about how he used a sports psycyologist. He never would have spoken about that before. The belief is there now. All of a sudden, he feels good about himself. The shackles are off, he has won his first major. He’s at peace with himself, and that’s the key. If you look at all the greats, whether it’s Federer or Nadal, or even Djokovic, they start to create an aura, and they’re so confident in their abilities, and that’s what’s happening with Murray now.” .
Rusedski on how the locker-room now sees Murray differently: “You’ve won the Olympic gold and you’ve won the US Open, so you go up in status. Getting to semi-finals or finals is great, but you’re a different cup of tea when you do it. I’ve picked him to win this event, even though Djokovic is many people’s favourite. That’s because of that mental fortitude and also because of that relationship with Djokovic, with the two of them being born just a week apart, and the history of them growing up together and playing matches together. That’s going to play a huge part if both those guys get to the final.” .
Rusedski on what Murray has to do to win the Australian Open: “He just has to keep on doing what he’s doing at the moment. He has to keep on being aggressive and playing up the court, on top of the baseline, being the boss and dictating. I really saw a difference to how he played at the US Open and how he played at The O2. You could see that at The O2 that he was working on things to do better in 2013. He’s got to be the one who’s dictating play. He also has to keep working on taking the ball early, as well as coming forward to finish off points, continuing to hit through forehands, and always looking for ways to improve his forehand.” .
Rusedski on how there’s a very good chance that Murray will finish the year as the world No 1. “For me, the battle for No 1 is between Djokovic and Murray. I have great respect for Nadal and Federer, but Nadal is coming back next month, after so many months out, and we don’t know what sort of shape he is going to be in. After the French Open, we will know whether he’s going to be in that race for No 1, but it may be too soon. I can see Federer possibly sneaking another slam, but I can’t see him consistently beating Djokovic and Murray. For now, I see Federer as the third man. But he can’t be discounted. If he beats Murray in the semi-finals in Melbourne, can he then beat Djokovic in the final? Yes, he’s a phenomenal mover, and he’s so experienced, but he’s still giving up seven years in time to Murray and Djokovic. It doesn’t matter how great you are, that makes a differences when you’re competing against Djokovic and Murray, because of the way those two play. Especially with Djokovic beating Federer at the end of season Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at the O2, as that was on a surface, with a bounce, that favoured Federer.”
