Wimbledon 2014: Andy Murray hails fast start after victory over David Goffin
Tuesday 24 June 2014 06:16, UK
Andy Murray admitted getting off to a good start helped settle his nerves as he began his defence of his Wimbledon crown.
Playing the first match of the tournament on Centre Court is an honour reserved for the reigning champion and Murray ensured it was a happy return to the hallowed turf as he defeated David Goffin 6-1 6-4 7-5.
Murray, who had woken up with butterflies in his stomach on Sunday morning, did not show any early nerves on Monday, racing into a 3-0 lead.
And he believed his fast start helped him overcome his opponent, saying: “I was probably a bit more nervous yesterday than I was today.
It does help if you can get ahead early like I did. That helped settle the nerves down a little bit.
"But it does help if you can get ahead early like I did. That helped settle the nerves down a little bit.
"I played very well. I hit the ball very well. I hit the ball clean from the beginning of the match.
"I thought the second and third sets were very high level. I thought he played very well. He was aggressive. He goes for his shots. He moves extremely well. He's very quick around the court. He has great hands up at the net as well.
"He played a bad game from 40-0 up at 5-5 in the third set. But it was very good."
Standing ovation
The 27-year-old was given a rare standing ovation by not just the crowd on Centre Court but also the Royal Box when he walked out, and the crowd were again on thier feet when he won.
It was a reception that touched Murray, who said: "It was nice. I was pretty nervous before the match. Then when you're walking to the court, I have a lot of memories obviously from last year.
"To come to the court and get that reception, it was very nice to come out. I think the crowd was pretty much full from the start. It was great.
"I enjoyed it for the walk to the chair. Then when I sat down, it was time to get on with business."
Murray’s new coach is former Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo, and the Scot admits he did seek her advice on defending a Wimbledon title, which she did in 2007.
"We went to dinner and I spoke to her a little bit about it and asked her how she dealt with it," added Murray.
"One of the things she said was she tried to take in the atmosphere and the experience of walking out on the court as the defending champion. You never know if you'll get the chance to do it again.
"She has quite clear memories of doing that herself. We talked about the other things that come with it as well, the extra pressure."
