Thursday 6 August 2015 11:42, UK
Andy Murray is playing so well right now that it would not be a surprise to see him win one, if not both, Masters tournaments during the US hard-court swing, says Mark Petchey.
The world No 3 was a semi-finalist at Wimbledon, losing to an inspired Roger Federer, before leading emotionally and by example as Great Britain beat France 3-1 to reach the Davis Cup semi-finals.
After a deserved couple of weeks' rest, the Scot will next compete at the Citi Open in Washington DC from August 3, before the two huge Masters 1000 events in Montreal and Cincinnati, with all roads leading into the final major of the year at the US Open, all live on Sky Sports.
"I think he's playing the sort of tennis where he has the belief in himself that you'll see him challenge for one of them, if not both of them (Masters events), that is how well he is playing right now" said Sky Sports expert Petchey.
"From all aspects, if he has a great week in Washington and it is one of those ridiculously hot weeks, it could be difficult to go and perform well in Canada, but then obviously he gets a good week in Cincinnati, and he's going to be riding high into the US Open.
"It's not important certainly to win in all three weeks in a row, but I definitely feel as though he will be a bit disappointed if he doesn't make the final of at least one of those two Masters."
Murray will also be preparing for a small step into the unknown when he returns to the ATP Tour without coach Amelie Mauresmo.
But former coach Petchey has backed Jonas Bjorkman to take up the slack smoothly as Mauresmo embarks on maternity leave and is set to be away from the tour for the rest of the season and, in all likelihood, January's Australian Open.
Sweden's Bjorkman has been playing a supporting role to Mauresmo since March but will now take the lead for the rest of the season.
Petchey, who coached Murray in the fledgling stages of his career and helped him win his first ATP title aged 18, believes the easy-going Swede is a perfect fit in Murray's corner.
"It's obviously a test for both of them in a good way I think that they're on their own," he said. "But Jonas is such a positive guy and he's such an upbeat guy. He is such a character and he's good friends with everybody on the tour so there's going to be a mix in terms of the variety.
"All round, you can't fault the appointment and you can’t fault the direction it has gone already. I honestly think it will be a big success and I felt it from day one so I’m not going to change my mind."
Murray's remaining Davis Cup commitments will be the domain of team captain Leon Smith but Bjorkman will be Murray's right-hand man for, at a minimum, the US Open, four ATP Masters 1000 events and the Barclays World Tour Finals.
There are plenty of ways to watch Andy Murray in action during the US hard-court swing in Washington, Montreal and Cincinnati.
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