World No.2 Andy Murray has quashed rumors of a row with Amelie Mauresmo after his shock loss to Grigor Dimitrov.
Murray took the first set and was leading 3-1 in the decider against the Bulgarian before succumbing to the world No.28 in Miami. The error-stricken performance from Murray, which consisted of 50 unforced errors, means that he has failed to reach the last sixteen in both Miami and Indian Wells for the first time since 2011. A fact which the two-time Grand Slam champion is unhappy with.
“It’s very disappointing because I had plenty of time to prepare and practice for this,” he said.
“I got myself in a winning position so it couldn’t have been that bad, but couldn’t close it out. There were far too many unforced errors that crept in towards the end.
“Grigor is obviously a very good player, but I also had opportunities in this match. I was up a break in the third, same at Indian Wells, then lost a run of games in both matches. So I need to look at that and see where I go from there.”
Some suggested that Murray’s lackluster performance was attributed to some sort of argument he had with Mauresmo, his coach since June 2014. The speculation started when Mauresmo was seen sitting high up in the crowd and not is the usual area where coaches sit. Swiftly dismissing this theory, Murray explained that it was just a tactical decision.
“I’ve just been trying to find different ways to improve my focus on the court.” Murray said about Mauresmo’s position in the crowd.
“I also did the same thing at the O2 Arena as well, so I’m trying to find different ways to improve and that’s something I’ve tested to see if that might help.
“If I’d had a falling out then Amelie wouldn’t be here at the tournament. We had dinner with all our families last night, so we certainly haven’t fallen out.
The British player will now start his preparations on the clay as he gets ready to play in the Monte Carlo Masters for the first time since 2013. Murray decided to skip the 2014 tournament to rest for the Davis Cup and in 2015 he missed the tournament due to his marriage to Kim Sears. The tournament will get underway on April 11th.
