Andy Murray: I’m giving up tennis – for a week

ANDY Murray is hanging up his tennis racket for a week and may jet off on a sunshine holiday to put his “painful” Wimbledon defeat behind him.

He said losing the men’s

singles final on Sunday had made him even more determined to win gold at this year’s Olympic games.

Figures released on Monday show 16.9 million people in the UK tuned in to watch the Centre Court action – the highest Wimbledon viewing figure since Bjørn Borg beat John McEnroe 32 years ago.

In Scotland, the average audience during the match was

1.3m – a 72.2 per cent share of the audience, the BBC said. The number of people watching the match peaked at 1.6m.

Murray, 25, also revealed he had been determined he would not break down in tears after the match, but was overawed by the support he received from fans.

He also told how coach Ivan Lendl had helped him to learn to handle himself better – and he vowed to keep striving to secure a Grand Slam title.

The Dunblane ace said: “The next ten days or so are vital, because the Olympics is fast

approaching. I certainly won’t pick up a tennis racket this week, and I don’t know if I’ll stay in the country.

“There’s a good chance I’ll try to find some sunshine. I may fly to Miami or go somewhere in Europe with my girlfriend [Kim Sears] and our dogs.

“The disappointment will

linger for as long as it needs to – it’s not a process I’ll rush.”

He added: “It is hard to

describe the disappointment of losing a Grand Slam final, let alone as a British player at Wimbledon with such incredible home support.

“You try to stay calm, hold it together and congratulate your opponent, before thanking the fans, your team, the tournament staff and so on. If only it was that easy.

“Having invested so much

effort and received unbelievable backing, it is difficult to control your reaction.

“The last thing you want is to cry on court, but there we go.

“I’m more determined than ever to make sure I’m the guy lifting the trophy next time round.”

Murray said he believed he played his best Grand Slam final to date and was more composed on Centre Court.

“Another plus has been the contribution of Ivan Lendl since taking over as my coach in January,” he said. “He is a massive help, especially when it comes to keeping cool, dealing with high-pressure situations and managing tough moments in important matches.

“He’s made a big difference in the way I prepare for the majors, which is something I felt I needed or was maybe missing.”

He said he went home after Sunday’s game to “work things out in his head”, while his team-mates went out.

Murray, writing on his BBC sports blog, said: “My team spent some time together on Sunday evening – they deserved to go out and enjoy themselves – but I wouldn’t have been good company. I went home and thought about stuff, worked things out in my head.”

The British No1 also showed more signs of his new-found sense of humour, saying: “I’m closer to winning that first major title, and after my three previous finals ended in straight-set defeats, at least I managed to win one against Roger Federer on Sunday.”