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Murray: Queen's exit could boost Wimbledon chances

Andy Murray played just one competitive match at Queen's © Getty Images

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Andy Murray believes an early exit at Queen's could be a blessing in disguise as he steps up his Wimbledon preparations.

Murray suffered a shock defeat to Nicolas Mahut at the AEGON Championships, but the British No. 1 insists there is no reason to panic.

He points to the Australian Open - where he often heads to Melbourne without playing a competitive tournament - and believes an extra few days to train on the grass could see him in better shape for his home grand slam.

"When I won Queen's last year it finished on Monday, exactly a week before Wimbledon started, so I was a little bit tired and didn't practise too much before the tournament began," Murray said in his BBC column.

"Now I'll have time to get all the hard work done, but that's the only bonus. I'll actually spend more time on the grass being out of Queen's than I would have if I was still in it. Of course I would like to have played more matches, but in the past I've done that and it hasn't always translated into the success I want at Wimbledon.

"It will be a bit like preparing for the Australian Open. I often go to Melbourne without playing a competitive tournament, just training hard, and I've always played well there."

Murray, who has confirmed he will play two exhibition matches at Stoke Park next week, is confident he can rediscover his form before Wimbledon, which begins on June 25.

Murray said: "I spoke to my coach Ivan Lendl afterwards and he just said, 'Don't worry about it, it was your first match on grass, it was close, you had a lot of chances. Let's get ready for Wimbledon'.

"That's why it's so good having him around; he's been in this position before heading into a grand slam and knows you can still find your form in time, provided you do the right work."

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