• Monte Carlo Masters

Murray takes heart from practice win over Nadal

ESPN staff
April 15, 2011
Andy Murray beat Rafael Nadal at the start of the week © Getty Images
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Andy Murray will take a huge amount of confidence into his Monte Carlo Masters semi-final with Rafael Nadal, after he beat the Spaniard during a practice session at the start of the week.

Murray booked his place in the last four with a 6-2 6-1 victory over Frederico Gil on Friday. The British No. 1 looked more confident than at any other point over the past three months since his Australian Open final defeat to Novak Djokovic.

Nadal is the undisputed master of clay though, winning the Monte Carlo event on six occasions, and he holds a 9-4 winning record against Murray. However, when the pair warmed each other up for this week's tournament, it was the Brit who came out on top.

"I know practice isn't the only thing that matters but there are not many people who would beat Rafa in practice," Murray said.

"That's not to say you'll win against him in a match but it helps when you are with those guys to know you're not that far behind them and even though they're playing great tennis right now, you can compete with them.

"After the Australian Open, I was losing practice sets and thinking it didn't matter but I've got the right attitude right now in practice and training and the matches will hopefully keep going the right way."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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