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Murray lost sleep over Djokovic defeat

ESPN staff
February 8, 2012
Andy and Jamie Murray field questions © PA Photos
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Andy Murray admits his semi-final defeat to Novak Djokovic kept him awake at night, but he is more certain than ever that he can win a grand slam.

The world No. 4, who reached the Australian Open final in 2010 and 2011, fell to Djokovic in the semi-finals, but he believes he made big strides forward under new coach Ivan Lendl in Melbourne.

Murray is widely considered to be the best player never to have won a major, with Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer winning 29 of the last 31 grand slams, but Murray believes it is only a matter of time before he breaks his duck.

"I made a big improvement in Australia," Murray said. "I've got a new coach, I only spent five or six days with him in Australia and I improved. I'm going to win [a major]. I'm not saying I'm going to win six. But if I can get a few I can be remembered in the same breath as those guys."

Murray came agonisingly close to victory, and he admits the pain of defeat - both physically and mentally took a few days to heal.

"The guys [his coaching team] were with me for two or three hours after the match and they were really positive," Murray said. "It doesn't make it easier. I woke up the next four or five nights after it thinking about it, thinking I could have done better. It takes a little while to get over it. It was once I took three or four days off and I got home that I had a few problems and the body started hurting."

Following his defeat to Djokovic in last year's Australian Open final, Murray struggled to recover and suffered a slump in form during the spring events in Indian Wells and Miami. But this year, Murray feels more confident about the state of his game and is positive he can bounce back quickly.

"In the final last year when I lost in straight sets I didn't play particularly well," Murray said. "This year was a huge turnaround and I played much better tennis. I was a few points away from winning the match and I came away from Australia feeling much more positive about my game."

Murray was speaking at 'An Audience with the Murrays' with older brother Jamie and their mother Judy, and his brother, who won the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon with Jelena Jankovic in 2007, echoed Murray's sentiments.

"I think Andy took so many strides forward in his tennis, certainly compared to last year," Jamie Murray said. "He showed a lot of people what he can do. He has a really great chance to go on, play like that again and hopefully win grand slams."

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