Andy Murray has his sights trained on Wimbledon after securing a record-equalling fourth Queen’s title.
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The Scot matched the hauls of John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick, seeing off Kevin Anderson 6-3 6-4 in a one-sided Aegon Championship final.
Murray, top seed and ranked third in the world, lived up to his billing with an effortless performance that saw him floor Anderson with a brilliant variety of winners and a service game that lived up to his big-hitting rival’s standard.
Now the British No1 is already thinking about his bid for a second SW19 crown.
“It’s been a great week for me and hopefully I can continue that form through to Wimbledon,” he said. “Obviously you want to go to Wimbledon with matches under your belt on grass. Now I need to make sure I use the next seven days as best as possible.
“I want to continue playing this way through Wimbledon, I need to keep practising hard, playing well and we’ll see what happens in a couple of weeks. I’m looking forward to it.”
Murray believes his game is at least as good as 2013, when he peaked with an emotional Wimbledon success, but insists the current roster – headed by Novak Djokovic – requires constant improvement.
» http://t.co/DJDdF5HbcM Andy Murray in better position now than when he won Wimbledon in 2013 #AndyMurray 547 pic.twitter.com/cvtHcZ59DH
— Mellisa B. (@mellberr) June 22, 2015
“I’m playing better than then, I feel, but you know it’s extremely difficult to win these events,” added Murray.
“Everyone’s improving all the time. You’re playing against some of the greatest who’ve ever played the game so you need to keep working hard to get better.
“I still feel there’s things I can improve and learn. I keep trying to do my best and hopefully play like this more often.”
Murray can certainly take inspiration from his efforts against Anderson.
He started the day by finishing off Viktor Troicki in the semi-final, a match that restarted at 3-3 before Murray wrapped up a 6-3 7-6(4) win.
Rather than tiring him out, that early exertion seemed to warm Murray up for the main event and he stood firm against Anderson’s powerful serve, breaking once in each set while never surrendering his own.
“When you’re playing a match you’re trying to focus on the next point, not thinking about how you’ve played or haven’t played,” he explained.
“I’m often very critical off myself on the court. But obviously I came up with some great shots when I needed them.
“Kevin’s had a fantastic week and he’s playing some great tennis so I had to play that way if I wanted to win.”
