Andy Murray to use Davis Cup win as a springboard to more glory

Eleanor Crooks 09:46 01/12/2015
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  • Winning finish: Andy Murray.

    Andy Murray hopes he can emulate Novak Djokovic in turning Davis Cup success into a stellar season in 2016.

    Djokovic’s elevation to the top of the world game began after he helped Serbia win their first Davis Cup five years ago.

    The following season he won three grand slam titles and has been the dominant force pretty much ever since, reaching 15 of the last 20 slam finals.

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    Murray had the most consistent season of his career in 2015 and finished it No2 in the world for the first time, but a slam title eluded him.

    Asked if the Davis Cup could be a springboard, he said: “I hope so. I’ll obviously try to use it as much as I can for next year.

    “The most important thing is, yes, enjoy it now, but don’t let it go on for like three weeks and stop practising hard and going to the gym and doing everything properly.

    “I need to train really hard in the off-season if I want to have a chance of making this count for next year. But it’s definitely given me a boost going into the off-season.”

    The first major target for Murray will be the Australian Open in only seven weeks’ time. The Scot reached the final for the fourth time this year but again came away on the losing side.

    Before that Murray is planning to rest for 10 days before heading to Dubai for a warm-weather training block and then back home for Christmas.

    It is a tight turnaround but the 28-year-old is optimistic there will not be any lingering effects going into 2016, particularly because he is not planning to play any events in February while he takes time away for the birth of his first child.

    Murray added: “I just need to make sure I get the rest right now because I’ve played so much tennis. If I do rest, it’s not like I’m going to lose all of the match fitness that I’ve built up over this year.

    “I can rest now, start training for Australia and give everything I’ve got there and then I know I get a break. It might not be so much of a break but I’ll be away from the court for a few weeks.”

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