• Shanghai Masters

Motivated Murray thriving under the pressure

Andy Murray unveiled a statue of himself in the style of a terracotta warrior in Shanghai on Tuesday © Getty Images

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Andy Murray believes he is reaping the benefits of piling extra pressure on himself after the US Open.

The British No. 1, who has won 21 of his last 22 matches, is on course for a hat-trick of titles in the Far East after picking up silverware in Thailand and Japan, and will overtake Roger Federer as world No. 3 should he successfully defend his Shanghai Masters title this week.

But Murray, who is on the hunt for his fifth title of the season, revealed he was forced to reassess his targets for the season after falling in the US Open semi-finals.

"I went into this stretch with the right mindset," Murray said. "After the US Open finished, I sat down and kind of made some goals between now and the end of the year. I gave myself that extra little motivation, that extra little push for the last few tournaments.

"I feel better, I've been doing things more professionally this year. I've been looking after my body better. I've taken necessary breaks. I've just been trying to pace myself a bit better, and that's definitely helped."

Murray rolled past Rafael Nadal 6-0 in the final set in the Japan Open final on Sunday, and the Scot admits he may never be able to reproduce such a dominant performance.

"It happens sometimes when you're playing right at the top of a sport," Murray said. "A few per cent difference here or there. I mean, what happened in the third set, it probably never happened to him before, and I'll probably never play a set of tennis again like that on the tour. It's just one of those sets where I hardly missed a ball.

"I wish it happened every day, but the reality is it's not going to be like that."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.