Murray: ‘I’m better now than when I won Wimbledon’

Andy Murray savours his moment of triumph when his victory over Kevin Anderson in the final gave him his fourth title at Queens Club. Picture: Leon Neal/Getty Images

Just a week before this year’s Championships begin in SW19, Murray flattened Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-4 to win the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club and claim his place in history. In the Open era, only Boris Becker, John McEnroe, Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick have lifted the huge, silver Queen’s Club trophy four times. Murray added his name to that list yesterday afternoon having previously won in 2009, 2011 and 2013.

“I’m playing better than in 2013, I feel, but it’s extremely difficult to win these events and everyone is improving all of the time,” Murray said. “I’m playing against some of the greatest players that ever played so you need to keep working hard, trying to get better and I still feel like there’s still things I can work on and improve on and just keep trying to do my best and play like I did today more often.

“You just have to improve; otherwise I wouldn’t still be in the same position. If you don’t continue to improve and get better, there is going to be people that will take your spot. So I feel like I have improved. Physically I’m definitely in a better place than I was in 2013. Obviously I was having problems with my back around that time. Not so much on the grass but on the other surfaces.

“I feel like I’m using my variety very well just now, something that maybe I wasn’t the last couple of years. That’s been good for me. It’s more experience, more matches. There are a few things I’m doing a little bit better.

“I have to give a lot of credit to Amélie [Mauresmo, his coach], because a lot of the work I have done with her is paying off. All of the things I have worked on with her, like using my variety is something I have been working on with her for quite a while now.”

Mauresmo, who is expecting her first child in August, took last week off and she will return to Murray’s team today. In her absence, Jonas Bjorkman was in sole charge of coaching duties at Queen’s Club, just as he was when Murray won the Munich title at the start of May. So far, under the Swede’s watchful eye, Murray has won every match he has played – a 9-0 win-loss record.

Murray has also had the best start to a season of his career. So far he has won 41 matches (one better than his previous best in 2009) and he has already won three titles. He has only lost one match since he got married in April – to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the French Open. As the days tick down to the start of Wimbledon, Murray could not be more confident or playing any better.

“Obviously, you want to go into Wimbledon with matches under your belt on the grass,” Murray said, “but I need to make sure I use the next seven days as best as possible.

“It’s been a long few months already and I need to make sure I take a day or two off and then use the preparation time as best I can because I want to continue playing this way through Wimbledon.

“I need to keep practising hard, train well and see what happens in a couple of weeks. But I’m looking forward to it.”