Andy Murray Realizes The Importance Of Maintaining Good Health

Written by: Staff on 29th March 2013

Sony Open tennis tournament on Key Biscayne, Florida

Andy Murray Realizes The Importance Of Maintaining Good Health

epa03643890 Andy Murray of Great Britain runs to return the ball to Marin Cilic of Croatia during their quarter final match at the Sony Open tennis tournament in Miami, Florida, USA, 28 March 2013. EPA/ERIK S. LESSER |

As he approaches tennis “middle age” with a 26th birthday coming in May, Andy Murray realizes he is living on the edge when it comes to tennis fitness. The Scot cannot shake the memory of the glandular fever which struck down one-time Swedish rival Robin Soderling two years ago at the height of his career.

Murray, thrust into the role of title favorite at the Miami Masters after the elimination of Novak Djokovic in an upset by Tommy Haas, told London’s Daily Telegraph that keeping well is a constant concern on the ATP.

“You have to be so careful nowadays with the amount of travel we do and how hard some of the matches are. You can get run down and end up missing two or three months of the year because of an illness. Your immune system gets run down and then you lose weight.

“It’s happened with a lot of guys with glandular fever the last few years so it’s something everyone has to look into.”

The world No. 3, under the guidance of Ivan Lendl, has been sharpening up his training to concentrate only on the work he needs to improve his tennis. “It’s not easy to get the balance right. But one of the advantages of getting older, even though no one actually wants to, is that you do learn things along the way.

“You know how to manage your day better, you know the things you need to do in preparation to make sure you feel good when you start the events. I think everybody who plays has their issues now, and the guys who manage them the best are the ones who have the longer careers.”

Murray remains one of the fitter players among the elite compared to the knee problems which are compromising the career of Rafael Nadal. While Roger Federer remains a near-ageless wonder at age 31 and Djokovic has evolved into a powerhouse on court, Murray has had his niggles in the past and must take care of his back and core area.

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: Andy Murray, ATP tennis news, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Sports, tennis health, Tennis News, Tommy Haas