• ATP Tour

Federer loss won't ruin 'perfect preparation' - Murray

ESPN staff
March 4, 2012
Andy Murray was beaten by Roger Federer in straight sets on Saturday © PA Photos
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Andy Murray has stressed the importance of seeing the bigger picture following the disappointment of his defeat to Roger Federer in the final of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship.

The British No. 1 fell 7-5 6-4 to Federer on Saturday, failing to recapture the heights he scaled in his semi-final victory over world No. 1 Novak Djokovic. However, Murray is refusing to become downcast, because he was using the Dubai tournament to bed in a few improvements to his game.

"It's not that often where guys beat top players on back-to-back days," Murray said. "It's not an easy thing to do. But overall it was a good week, perfect preparation for the stretch coming up in America.

"I worked on some things with [coach] Ivan Lendl before coming here [and have] just been trying to put them into the matches little by little. This week was a good start."

The period of the season after the Australian Open and before the French Open has caused Murray some strife in recent years, and he is eager to avoid a repeat as he aims to gather the momentum required to clinch a maiden grand slam title.

"I'm just happy with the week, because at this stage last year I was in a very different position, a different frame of mind," he said.

"It's a very important period for me, this one coming up because I struggled there [in Indian Wells and Miami] the last couple of years. I'm going to get over there early, get some good practice in."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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