Andy Murray raring to go with psychiatrist on board to help him prepare for Wimbledon pressure

Andy Murray opens his Wimbledon campaign on Tuesday
The 2013 Wimbledon champion has been working with a psychiatrist
Richard Hampson has been seen with Murray’s camp at tournaments
It is 10 years since Murray reached the third round at his first Wimbledon

Published:
21:40 GMT, 27 June 2015

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Updated:
23:31 GMT, 27 June 2015

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When he finished his interviews on Saturday, Andy Murray climbed a flight of stairs and walked out on the Players’ Lawn, a terrace covered with artificial turf where the competitors mill around during the Championships.

Murray, who will begin his attempt to win a second Wimbledon crown with a first-round tie against Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan on Tuesday, did a series of television interviews there.

He even consented to do something very un-Murray like and recreate one of his clenched-fist, clenched-face poses for the benefit of a reporter brandishing an iPad as a camera.

Andy Murray pictured during a training session at the All England Club on Saturday afternoon

Murray (left) alongside coach Amelie Mauresmo during practice ahead of his Wimbledon campaign

Murray hits serves in practice as he shapes up for his opening match against Mikhail Kukushkin

When the interviews were over, he turned away and reflected for a moment. Maybe he thought back to the Monday morning nearly two years ago when he stood up on that lawn the day after he had become the first British man to win Wimbledon for 77 years.

It was a joy to talk to him — just to observe him — that morning as he wandered around a near-deserted All England Club, still struggling to comprehend the extent of what he had just achieved.

It was such a landmark for British sport that sometimes it seems like yesterday when he beat Novak Djokovic in straight sets to lift the men’s singles trophy, but two years is a long time in the life of a tennis player and this year, for the first time, Murray has started to talk about the end of his career.

Many expect him and Djokovic to face each other again in the final a fortnight from now and some have started to convince themselves that Murray is the favourite after the Serb showed some uncharacteristic frailty in his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final of the French Open earlier this month.

Djokovic has won their last eight meetings and on several occasions it has appeared he has been able to unsettle Murray psychologically. Maybe it was tacit acknowledgement of that, but when Murray spoke about his desire to eke everything he can from the last years of his career, he put great emphasis on recent work he has done with a psychiatrist.

Richard Hampson, a member of a team of psychologists and psychiatrists headed by Dr Steve Peters, has been seen with Murray’s entourage at recent tournaments. Peters, of course, is the man who has been used to great effect by British cycling and has also advised the footballer Craig Bellamy, world snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan and the England football team.

Murray shows his frustrations as he loses to Novak Djokovic at this year’s Australian Open final

Psychiatrist Richard Hampson (right) pictured with Murray’s team at a tournament in Munich in May

‘I need to try to encourage myself more and understand psychologically how that’s helping you and how to get in that frame of mind more often,’ said Murray. ‘I’m more interested in actually learning the signs behind it and why the brain works in certain ways and why you may react or say things at certain times.

‘I just tried to learn and understand myself better. When you do that, you know you can cut yourself some slack sometimes. As you go along, you learn. I used a lot of sports psychologists when I was younger. And sometimes it helped and sometimes it didn’t feel like it did.

‘The stuff I’m doing now, I’m actually interested in learning about how the brain works rather than being told how to count to 10, or whatever it is, to calm yourself down. Which, for me, didn’t help. I didn’t find that helpful.

‘There is someone that I use. It’s not a mind guru. It’s a psychiatrist. There is a difference, so he tells me, between a psychiatrist and a psychologist. I don’t know exactly what it is but the work I’m doing is different to the work I was doing in the past. I find it extremely interesting.

‘And when you see how you react in certain situations, it’s like, “Yeah, that’s correct”. But the thing is you need to be honest when you’re speaking to someone about those things. Because if you aren’t, you’re just wasting your time and it’s completely pointless.

‘You have to be open and honest about the thoughts that you’re having and the feelings that you have. If you don’t and you lie about things to make yourself look stronger and tougher, it’s pointless. Because everyone has those thoughts.

‘I haven’t necessarily learned about mind games and how to throw your opponent off. It’s more about understanding myself better and I think the better you understand yourself it does help you before big matches.

‘When I won Wimbledon, 40 minutes before I went on the court I didn’t know what was happening to my body, what was going on. I was so nervous. I had felt absolutely fine in the morning. So when that came, I was like, “Why was I not feeling that way two hours ago, what’s going on?”

Murray hits a volley at the All England Club during a training session on Saturday

Murray (left) kisses the Wimbledon trophy after beating Djokovic in the 2013 final on Centre Court

Murray (centre) speaks with coach Mauresmo (left) and physio Shane Annun at Aorangi Park

‘If that was to happen in a couple of weeks and I was in that position, I’d be like, “OK, I know what’s actually going on here, I know why this is happening and why I’m thinking this way — and it’s fine”. I know better how to deal with that now.’

Murray is 28 now and it is 10 years since he first made an impact on the national consciousness by reaching the third round at Wimbledon. He took a two-set lead against 18th seed David Nalbandian before cramp and the Argentine’s greater experience overwhelmed him.

Murray has fulfilled all the hopes we harboured for him then and more. Now, he seeks out quiet moments to reflect on the tournaments he has won and the goals he has reached, he said, and he is determined to do everything he can to eke out the best from his game in the years that remain.

‘You do start to reflect a little bit more, yeah, on previous years, that’s for sure,’ he said. ‘I kind of realised at the end of last year, after surgery on my back, “I don’t know if I’ll ever get the chance to play at the top level again, so I need to do everything possible that I can, you know, my training, really dedicate myself 100 per cent to the time I have left”.

Murray (right) and David Nalbandian embrace after their third-round match at Wimbledon in 2005

Murray (left) plays in the mixed doubles with Israel’s Shahar Peer at the 2005 Championships

‘I want to try to enjoy it as best as I can. I mean, a lot of the ex-players that I’ve spoken to, have said, “At the end, really make sure you get every last ounce out of yourself because these will be the best years of your life. It doesn’t get better when you finish playing”.

‘Ten years ago, it was very different. There was no pressure, no expectation. I was just glad to be given the opportunity to play here.

‘The attention that first week went from being zero to loads really. After my second-round match, I had a mixed doubles match. There were so many people that I couldn’t get out to the court. It was a lot more hectic away from the court but there was also way, way less pressure.

‘I know I’m not young any more and that I might not play for more than four or five more years if I’m lucky. I maybe only have a couple more years left at the top of the game. I want to make the most of it and I’m doing everything better now.’

The time to put all the advances he has made to their biggest test is almost upon him. Murray, his body healthy and his mind free, is raring to go.

JOHN LLOYD’S MURRAY ANALYSIS

I make Andy Murray the favourite. Everything is set up for him with the way things have panned out leading up to the tournament.

The clay-court season was huge and helped him gain confidence and he was fabulous at Queen’s.

After careful planning, everything has clicked into place. His variety on a grass court is second to none. He’s not afraid to play drop shots, topspin lobs, extreme slice and he is so quick.

I totally agree with what he said after winning at Queen’s — he is playing better now than when he won the US Open in 2012 and Wimbledon in 2013.

Murray’s draw is good, too. The toughest draw was to have had Novak Djokovic in his half.

It’s still a tough at the latter stages, with Rafael Nadal possibly in the quarter-finals and Roger Federer in the semis, but he has a very good draw in the first three rounds.Compare it with Djokovic who has got a nasty start.

You don’t want to open against world No 33 Philipp Kohlschreiber when you haven’t played for a couple of weeks. He does have dangerous grass-court players in his section – Marin Cilic, John Isner and Kevin Anderson but I do think he’ll go through.

As for Murray, after his early rounds it will depend on how Jo-Wilfried Tsonga plays after injury. I don’t think Murray will be troubled until the quarters. He’ll get through.

Then we’ll just have to see what sort of shape Nadal is in. That would be a big quarter-final, but I think Murray will beat him on grass.