'Roger Federer is very relaxed off the court and...', says Grand Slam champion

The adventure of British tennis player Andy Murray at the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati ended in the round of 16. The athlete was stopped in two sets by an excellent Milos Raonic who, in the first tournament after the pandemic, is doing really good things. To tell the truth, everyone expected an exciting duel, but Murray never found the right pace and made too many mistakes. In the press conference Andy Murray commented on the knockout against the Canadian tennis player. In a recent interview, Andy Murray is still adapting to life without crowds but insists he needs to ‘make noise to play his best’. As he points out himself, he is far from Roger Federer – the 20-time Grand Slam champion from Switzerland who is known for his permanently cool, calm and collected on-court demeanour.

Murray on Roger Federer

"Some players do, some players don’t [become a different person on court without crowds]. I guess you just have to try to find what works for you. ‘When I go on the court, if I was basically quiet, not show any emotion and not talk, I’d feel really uncomfortable, very stressed and uptight. ‘There’s a level of intensity that I feel I need to bring. I feel like I need to make sound on the court, make noise to play my best. Some guys, like Roger Federer for example, he’s very relaxed off the court, and when he’s on it, that’s the way he appears as well. It obviously works for him. ‘But maybe take someone like Rafa, for example, is quite the opposite – although he’s toned it down a bit as he’s got older. But his first three or four years on the Tour, he was fist-pumping after every single point, and using so much energy. ‘Again, it’s getting that balance, to find what works for you. For me, I need to be making some noise on the court" - the former World number 1 said. Andy Murray also talked about the bubble in New York: "I’m staying in an apartment,’ added Murray. ‘The team hotel is right next door to the hockey stadium. So long as it’s got a decent bed, shower, Wifi, TV channels, I’m not really that fussed. It doesn’t need to be a fancy hotel. ‘It seems all right. All of the players, all of the British guys I’ve spoken to, they’ve been saying, yeah, it’s good. It’s pretty nice. Hopefully everyone behaves themselves and it’ll be all right. I think it’s going to be fine. I think the USTA will do a good job, and make it as safe as it can be. It’s a shame that not many of the top women are coming. But it’s difficult. ‘You look at the States as a whole, obviously the situation is really, really bad. But in New York the situation is not any worse than it would be in the UK just now. I think they’re doing pretty well in New York. It’s a difficult one. ‘You understand why players wouldn’t travel but, now that I’m here, I feel safe. I don’t feel less safe here than when I’m going around London. As long as players respect the protocols, and I hope they do, everything should go smoothly."

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