(Reuters) – Andy Murray has long dreamed of winning an elusive grand slam title but revealed on Saturday that the depth of his frustration had begun to play tricks on his mind ahead of the U.S. Open.
The 25-year-old Briton suffered a fourth consecutive grand slam final loss when he surrendered in four sets to Roger Federer at Wimbledon.
Murray consoled himself four weeks later by thrashing the Swiss to win an emotional gold medal at the London Olympics Games on the same Centre Court, but said his slumbering mind had replayed the matches very differently.
“After Wimbledon, like four days after Wimbledon, I dreamt I won Wimbledon,” Murray said.
“I woke up in the morning and I was just starting to feel better. That didn’t help. Then a few days after the Olympics, I dreamt that I lost in the final of the Olympics. Obviously waking up remembering that I had won was nice.”
Asked if he had dreamt about the U.S. Open yet, Murray replied: “Not yet, not yet. But I’ll keep you posted.”
The third seed from Scotland is desperate to carry the momentum from his Olympic triumph through with a major victory in New York.
His plans include staying in a hotel away from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan – and steering clear of Flushing Meadows whenever possible.
“Staying in a quieter hotel this time and trying to make sure I don’t spent too much time around the courts,” he said.
“I have stayed in a lot of different hotels in the seven or so years I have been playing here and I just decided to go for something a bit different,” he said.
” A lot of the slams I have tried to stay somewhere quieter because that’s what I like. When I have played well at Wimbledon I have stayed at home and it’s normally fairly quiet where I live. I like that.”
(Editing by Steve Ginsburg)