Murray getting closer to goal of ‘multiple titles’ with Aus Open lift

Andy Murray has revealed that he is aiming to win “multiple” titles in the latter stage of his career after booking his spot in his first semi-final since last June. The world No 70 is now just two wins away from his first trophy since 2019 and believes he is getting closer to his goal.

Murray has had a successful start to the 2023 season, proving his strength and stamina with two five-set epics at the Australian Open en route to the third round before reaching the semi-final of this week’s Doha Open. The Brit has defeated top players in Matteo Berrettini and Alexander Zverev this season and believes he has already proven that he can win titles again.

“Yeah, I mean, I want to win multiple,” the former world No 1 told reporters in Doha when asked if he wanted to lift a title at this stage in his career. “I mean, obviously I’d love to win one, but I have goals to achieve more than that.”

And Murray believes he is in the right spot to do just that as he faced Jiri Lehecka in Friday’s semi-final of Doha with either Felix Auger-Aliassime or Daniil Medvedev as a potential finals opponent. “Yeah, I’m putting myself in a position now, you know, to do that going into the last couple of matches, and granted, the players who are still in the tournament, it’s not going to be easy,” he continued.

JUST IN: Emma Raducanu can learn from Alcaraz after similar post-US Open slump

With the 35-year-old the closest he’s been to a title in eight months, he also felt as though he would continue to give himself the chance to lift more titles at the coming tournaments following his positive start to the year. Murray added: “I feel like these last few weeks are a step in the right direction.

“And if I continue to play and compete like I am just now, I’ll have, you know, not just one opportunity to win a title, but I’ll have more chances to do that in this last stage of my career.” Murray’s comments come after he claimed he felt extra confident following his run at the Australian Open, which showed him that his body could survive long, brutal matches and still allow him to keep winning.

And the 46-time title winner discussed the idea that the experience could benefit him in matches against younger players and those who haven’t been on tour long after playing world No 170-ranked qualifier Alexandre Muller in the quarter-final. “Yeah, the experience can work both ways,” he started.

DON’T MISS
Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal have two players threatening Slam hopes
Alcaraz urged to follow Djokovic and Nadal after ‘wrong things’ remark
Alcaraz coach reignites Djokovic injury debate with ‘impossible’ claim

“Obviously it can work to your advantage at times, but I also remember when I was 19, 20, 21 years old, and you have no scar tissue, like, from making mistakes in big moments or losing tight matches. I think when you’re young, it’s quite easy to play freely. Sometimes the more experience that you get, you know, when you’ve lost tight matches or had difficult experiences, like that can also play a part. So there’s positives and negatives. You obviously need to try and use the positives as much as you can.”

But Murray also thought it was easier to take belief knowing he had come from behind in multiple matches this year, let alone throughout his career. He added: “I feel like when you’re confident, it’s easier to do that. Right now I feel that way, so in the crucial moments, in the critical moments of the matches, I’m using my experience well, and that will help me against the younger players.

“But there has also been times in the last couple of years where, you know, I have had some really rough experiences, you know, really struggled a lot with my game because of that, and, you know, those experiences didn’t necessarily help me in the matches. So it can work both ways, because the young players will tend to play a little bit freer, I think.”

Source: Read Full Article