For some people, having their mother-in-law around when they’re in the stress of competition might be something they do everything to avoid. For Andy Murray, it’s part of his plan to give him the best chance to have a big run at the US Open.
For the first time outside of Wimbledon, the Murray family are together at a Grand Slam event, offering support, normality, everything that a family can bring, even when a player is trying everything to go deep in a slam.
“Obviously I have done it at Wimbledon the last few years but this is different,” said Murray, who plays Corentin Moutet of France in the first round today. “It’s obviously different being in the hotel.
“It has been good. We went to The Hamptons. I have been coming here for 20 years and never been there before so we went there and stayed in a house, it was really relaxed, we stayed in a house there.”
“I had some really good practice. There was (Jannik) Sinner there, (Matteo) Arnaldi, Ethan Quinn, who got a wildcard here, so there were a few guys and it worked well. I have been able to get everything done. My mother in law is here so she is a big help.”
With four children in tow, relaxing might not be that easy but getting away from the tension and stress of a Grand Slam is also vital, especially for Murray, who at 36 knows the end of his career is closer than the beginning.
To that end, Murray has been trying everything to find another edge to his game, adjusting his technique in an effort to turn close losses into victories.
That also includes his coaching set-up. The addition of Jonny O’Mara, a former player, to his team alongside Mark Hilton has brought a new voice to listen to, not to mention someone who is still playing good enough tennis to help him in practice, if required.
Not to mention fitting in with Ivan Lendl, who has been in contact throughout the last two months and who arrived in New York last week to mastermind another Grand Slam campaign.
“Hilts was in Canada and Washington. I wanted to make sure when Jonny started he was able to spend some time on the road with Hilts and some time on the road with Ivan so he gets a clear idea of what our days usually look like but also is spending time around more experienced coaches.
“It worked well. Him and Hilts know each other pretty well through Evo (Dan Evans), that was good.
“It is not always that easy to work on the specific things because you are always reliant on the person you are practising with.
“If I hit with Holger Rune today and say, oh Holger can you just hit five forehands cross court to me and I am going to do this drill today. It doesn't really work whereas I am able to get a lot more of that stuff done with Jonny. That helps a lot because I've not really had that much for the last couple of years. I've enjoyed that.” Since returning to the Tour after his career-saving knee surgery in 2019, Murray has won one title and reached three other finals, including one this year in Dubai.
But in the Grand Slam events he has struggled to make inroads, suffering from some difficult draws as he battled up the rankings and then, as at Wimbledon this year against Stefanos Tsitsipas, some tough losses.
His bid to extend his run at Wimbledon was not helped by the scheduling at Wimbledon, which saw Murray play third match on Centre Court each time, leaving him vulnerable to late finishes.
“I had multiple conversations before the start of the tournament and asked not play the third match every single day because you know that's what is going to happen with the 1:30 start and the breaks in between the matches,” Murray said.
“The roof, in my opinion, was there for when it rains. There are always matches that can go on for the fans and for TV and everything and it's great.
“It's not a major thing but anyone that plays tennis knows playing indoors and outdoors is not the same thing.
“It's a very different feeling. It seems like a basic thing to change, just go back to the 1-o-clock start or even 12.30. But it's a financial reason they are doing it so it won't change.”
