adminANDY Murray strolled into the US National Tennis Centre on Saturday without a care in the world, brimming with confidence and self-belief as he prepares to defend his US Open title.
Signing autographs and joking with the media, the Scotsman’s relaxed demeanour could not have been any different than when he arrived at Flushing Meadows a year ago.
And this time he plans to do something he forgot to last year. He wants to enjoy himself.
In 2012, Murray arrived in New York still searching for his first grand slam title. He had won the Olympic gold medal but the grand slams had eluded him and he continued to be pestered about why he had not broken through.
That all changed under the bright lights of New York when he defeated world No 1 Novak Djokovic in a nerve-tingling five-setter, to end his own drought and become the first British man in 76 years to win the US Open.
Returning this year as the defending champion has rekindled those memories though he confessed his emotions last year were somewhat stifled.
“I was so relieved that night that maybe I didn’t have the chance to maybe enjoy it maybe as much as Wimbledon or the Olympics, for example,” he said.
“There was so much relief last year that I wasn’t necessarily enjoying it as much as I should have.
“So when I came back and practiced on the Arthur Ashe court, you know, the memories came back, and that was nice.”
Despite his breakthrough, Murray knew winning the US Open was never going to release the full expectation on him from the British public.
That only came when he won Wimbledon in July, a moment etched in British sporting history but one that was a blur to him.
With the weight of expectation lifted from shoulders, Murray holds no fears about trying to defend his title at Flushing Meadows, the most raucous and intimidating venues of the four grand slams.
“I think there is less pressure. I think before the first match – and probably anything before the first match there will be nerves there – I expect to be pretty nervous because it’s a new experience and it’s different,” he said.
“But I think once the tournament gets going, I don’t think it changes. I don’t think it changes too much.
“There was a lot of pressure on me for a lot of years to win a grand slam, and then same sort of thing at Wimbledon. I wouldn’t imagine it would be the same here.”
Meanwhile, Roger Federer plans to prove doubters wrong at the US Open despite having fallen to a seventh seed, the 17-time Grand Slam’s champion’s lowest US Open spot since 2002.
The 32-year-old Swiss star will open tonight at Arthur Ashe Stadium against Slovenian Grega Zemlja in hopes of bouncing back after a second-round exit at Wimbledon – his earliest Grand Slam ouster since winning his first slam title in 2003 at the All England Club.
“The rankings, they fluctuate a lot, especially if you don’t play so well,” Federer said. “If you play great you move up or go down rather quickly.”
Federer sees his ranking fall as only a small stumble.
“No 7 I don’t think is a huge drop from No 4, but people are going to say what they like,” he said.
“What’s important is that I concentrate on my game and that the passion is there, that I work the right way, that I’m prepared, and then that I feel like I can win a tournament. Then the ranking actually itself is secondary.”
With only one title in his past 14 Slam starts, Federer has seemed more like a victim of Father Time than the superstar who once dominated the sport.
“Federer is having, results-wise, probably the worst year in probably the last 10 years,” said world No 1 Novak Djokovic.
“It is unusual to see that he’s No 7 after being so dominant and so consistent every year in last 10 years, always being one or two in the world.
“You can’t always expect somebody to be at the highest level. It’s normal to go up and down. That’s why this sport is so very demanding, physically, mentally, emotionally.”
Retired legend John McEnroe also doubts Federer has what it takes at this stage in his career to win seven matches at a Grand Slam event.
“He is so great that it’s going to be mentally difficult for him to deal with what his results have been this year,” McEnroe said.
“I don’t see, at this stage, him being able to go through all seven . . . At this stage it’s going to be quite, quite difficult for him to win another (Slam).”
Federer could face second seed Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals. The two icons of tennis have never played at a US Open.
The Spaniard owns a 21-10 career edge over Federer and a 4-2 career lead in US meetings that includes quarter-final wins this year at
Indian Wells and Cincinnati on Nadal’s way to titles in both events.
“I think it’s an exciting draw really with Rafa being nearby,” Federer said. “Plus we have never played here. I really hope from my side that I can make it.
“Clearly when I come here I don’t just look at trying to make quarters, you know. I’m clearly here trying to win the tournament, but it starts at the very beginning and that’s Monday (today).”
In the women’s category, World No 1 Serena Williams would become the oldest US Open women’s champion in the Open era if she defends her crown in the Flushing Meadows fortnight that begins today.
The 16-time Grand Slam singles champion, whose four US Open titles are two shy of Chris Evert’s Open-era career record, is a heavy favourite in the year’s final Grand Slam tournament.
If Williams wins the final, scheduled 18 days shy of her 32nd birthday, she would pass Australian Margaret Court to become the oldest US Open women’s winner. Court won the 1973 crown just 55 days past her 31st birthday.
“That would be great,” Williams said. “That’s not one thing I focus on and one thing I think about. I just think about how there are so many people in the competition and so many things I would like to do.”
Williams, whose first US Open title came in 1999 at age 17, would become the third-oldest such Grand Slam women’s champion, nine days younger than Britain’s Virginia Wade when she won at Wimbledon in 1977 and nearly two years behind Martina Navratilova, who won Wimbledon in 1990 at age 33.
“I have been able to keep up with the times,” Williams said. “I’m actually serving harder than I ever have in my career. The racquets are stronger and I’m more fit.
“I feel so good, so healthy, so vivacious every time I step on the court.”
Reigning French Open champion Williams has made the most of her celebrity on and off the court, and while off-court interests kept her busy in younger days, she has played more matches in recent seasons than ever before.
“I feel great. I feel completely recharged,” Williams said. “To play more matches now later in my career than sooner, it’s interesting how good I feel.”
Some of the extra spring in her step comes because she lost in the final at Cincinnati two weeks ago to second-ranked Victoria Azarenka, the two-time Australian Open champion considered the top contender to ending Williams’ reign at the US Open.
“I’m definitely really excited,” Williams said. “Every time I lose, I get so pumped afterwards. I just feel like now I’m ready, now I’m prepared. I almost needed that to take my game to a new level.”
Azarenka took a boost from defeating Williams for the Cincinnati crown as well.
“It gives you great confidence,” Azarenka said. “But I always think the new week is the new story. You can always take the best out of what happened last week, so I will definitely take that into consideration.
“But the new week, US Open, Serena, No 1 player in the world, defending champion, we all start kind of from zero here.”
Williams, who cannot lose the top ranking at the US Open, would clinch the year-end top spot if she wins and Azarenka fails to reach the final.
Including bonus money based on performances in US Open tuneup events, Williams would take home $3,6 million by defending the title while Azarenka would claim $3,1 million by taking the crown.
Since 1998, the top seed has only won the US Open women’s title twice, Williams in 2002 and Justine Henin in 2007.
“I feel good going in but I felt excellent going into Wimbledon and I went right out,” said Williams, who lost in the round of 16 on the All-England Club grass.
Williams is trying to become only the fourth woman in 20 years to win back-to-back US Open titles, after Steffi Graf in 1996, sister Venus Williams in 2001 and Kim Clijsters in 2010.- Reuters/Sapa/AFP
Sidumisile Mabena
Online Reporter