JAMIE Murray plans to channel his disappointment at missing out on a Grand Slam title for the second time in two months by helping Britain beat Australia this week to reach the final of the Davis Cup.
Murray and John Peers, an Aussie who won’t be playing in Glasgow, were beaten to the US Open title, going down 6-4, 6-4 to France’s Nicolas Mahut and Pierre Hugues-Herbert, who each won their first Grand Slam title.
It was a disappointing end to what was a great fortnight and indeed, a great summer for the pair, reaching their first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon and then repeating the feat in New York.
Murray joked that he was “starting to know what my brother felt like”, referring to Andy Murray’s five Grand Slam losses before winning his first at Flushing Meadows.
But the Scot knows their performances this summer will almost certainly guarantee them a debut at the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London.
Murray also knows that getting back on the horse immediately is likely to be a good thing, just as it was when he and Andy won the doubles rubber against a France side which included Mahut the week after Wimbledon.
“It’s good,” Murray said, of the quick turnaround. “I don’t have time to kind of sit around and dwell on the past.
“I have to fly back tomorrow, get to Scotland on Monday, join up with the team and get back into the swing of things at the Davis Cup.
“We have got a great chance to try to get to the final, playing at home, as well.”
That Davis Cup quarter-final win takes on added significance after last night’s defeat, a match that saw Herbert, who was left out for the GB match, shine as arguably the pick of the four players.
Murray played well himself, but, though Peers missed a few big points, particularly an easy volley that would have given them a break for 5-4 in the first set, the pair were generally outplayed, Jamie broken in the final game.
“I think we had some chances in the first set; we didn’t manage to get them,” Murray said. “The last game, (Herbert) played some great shots to break us.”
The last point was the best of the match as all four players traded volleys before Herbert improvised a two-handed backhand volley for a winner into the open court.
It was a first slam win for Mahut, the 33-year-old who may be best known for losing the epic 11 hour-five minute match with John Isner at Wimbledon in 2010, but who had, before yesterday, lost three grand slam doubles finals.
Mahut and Hugues-Herbert also reached the final of the Australian Open this year, which makes the latter’s omission for the Britain clash all the more odd.
The decision by Australia to leave out Peers is one that could also backfire, but Murray said whoever lines up will be tough.
“He’s their best doubles player,” he said of Peers. “They obviously think they have a team that can win – we’ll find out next weekend who’s better.”
Australia, who also left Nick Kyrgios out of their side, will plan to tire Andy Murray in the singles, hoping he will either skip doubles or be flat come the final day.
If he chooses not to play, then Dom Inglot, who reached the semi-finals in New York, will partner Jamie Murray.
“If we end up playing because Andy doesn’t want to play on Saturday then I think we’re both in good form,” Murray said. “I think we will still fancy our chances winning the doubles match.”
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