Tennis players prepare for the final grand slam of the year
- 00:02:52
- ITN
Tennis players prepare for the final grand slam of the year
Andy Murray believes playing in the same era as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is a blessing rather than a curse. The Brit is set to begin his quest to win a grand slam when his US Open campaign gets under way at Flushing Meadows with a first-round tie against Ernests Gulbis of Latvia. Murray reached last year's final, beating Spain's Nadal in the semi-finals but losing in straight sets to Federer in the final. And while he has replaced Nadal as number two in the world, Murray recognises he and his peers have a tough time breaking up what he described as "the two best rivals ever", with 21 grand slam titles between them, 15 of them Federer's. "I view Roger and Rafa as the two best rivals ever and I'm sure by the time they've finished they'll have the most slams between two rivals by quite a long way," Murray said. "They're obviously two of the best ever and it's a pretty tough time to play with those sort of guys but at the same time I think you raise your game to the competition you play against." He added: "When I played those guys when I was younger I realised that I needed to get a lot better and work physically and I think my game's gone in the last four five years to another level, physically. "I don't feel as if I was unfortunate to be born in this era, I think it's a great thing to be able to play alongside those two."
ITN | August 30, 2009
