Andy Murray targets first British title and perfect Wimbledon preparation

Andy Murray will attempt to win his first ATP tennis tournament in Britain, his first title on grass and give himself the perfect preparation for Wimbledon when he plays in the AEGON Championships at The Queen’s Club in London, 8-14 June.

Murray’s first ATP match-win came at the event then known as the Stella Artois Championships in 2005, and he is keen to achieve another milestone at the tournament which was re-named when the life assurance and pensions company AEGON signed up to become the Lead Partner of British Tennis last September.

“Grass is a good surface for me and obviously it would mean a lot to me to win a tournament at home,” said Murray, in a video interview on the official AEGON Championships website www.aegonchampionships.com to announce his participation.

“All the guys that have played well at Queen’s tend to have gone on to do well at Wimbledon so it’s a good marker to see where your game is at. The tournament has got an unbelievable history and all the guys use it as pretty much the perfect preparation for Wimbledon. I think this year I’ve got a good chance of doing well.”

Murray made his debut at the event four years ago, marking his appearance with victories over Santiago Ventura and Taylor Dent in only the second and third ATP matches of his career. He then pushed former Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson all the way before losing 6-7(1) 7-6(5) 5-7.

“I watched the tournament a lot on TV when I was growing up and I saw a lot of Tim Henman’s matches – I saw him playing against Pete Sampras in the finals,” said Murray.

“Queen’s is also where I won my first ATP Tour match in 2005, so I’ve always had good memories.  They have really good crowds and I think it’s run incredibly well. I really enjoy playing on grass – it’s a different sort of challenge to the rest of the year. We play so much on hard courts and clay that it’s nice to have a change of scenery on the tennis court.”

Last year, Murray was forced to withdraw ahead of his quarterfinal clash with Andy Roddick because of a thumb injury, but he credits his performances in earlier rounds as the launch-pad for a run of form which took him to the Wimbledon quarterfinals, the ATP 1000 title in Cincinnati, and the US Open final in September.

“It was actually pretty much from Queen’s onwards that I started to play really well (last year),” said Murray.

“I had a good Wimbledon and everything sort of took off from there.”

With sell-out crowds again guaranteed and Murray in the form of his life, a lot will be expected of the British No.1. He intends to take it all in his stride.

“I go in with the same attitude to all of the tournaments; I want to try and win them,” he said.

“I think that’s the best way to approach them.  I understand that there’s great players around just now, but I feel good about my game and I’ve been getting better each year so hopefully I can continue that this year.”

To view the video, please click here: http://www.aegonchampionships.com/1/news/video_2009.asp

For more information, please go to the official AEGON Championships website: http://www.aegonchampionships.com