Melzer fired me up, says Murray
Andy Murray admits being "fired up" by Jurgen Melzer's comments
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Friday, 19, Sep 2008 10:40
British number one Andy Murray has admitted Jurgen Melzer's pre-match comments on his ability to handle the pressure of Davis Cup have "fired him up".
The Scot cruised past Austria's Alexander Peya in straight sets in the second singles rubber on Friday.
And on match point Murray gestured a choking action to his throat towards the Austrian contingent in the front few rows on Wimbledon's Court One.
The gesture, it was revealed afterwards, was aimed at Melzer who questioned the 21-year-old's ability to handle the expectation of the British public.
And Murray, who is now at a career high of four in the world, said this ability to handle pressure was what sets him and his fellow top-ten players apart from the rest of the ATP Tour.
"Yeah, it fired me up a bit," the British number one admitted.
"It's not nice when fellow competitors make suggestions towards those sorts of things.
"Everyone talks about the depth of men's tennis and how good all the players are.
"But the difference between the top five and top ten players is that they deal well with the pressure and play well in tight situations and win big matches."
Murray faced a difficult match situation against Melzer himself in the US Open earlier this month, when he bounced back from two sets down to beat the Austrian on his way to a first grand slam final.
And the Scot referred to that match, saying he played "some of [his] best tennis" when faced with such a dire scenario.
Murray also thanked the crowd for their support during his straight-sets victory over Peya, saying the atmosphere was "great, especially at the start of the match".
"I got a good start, the crowd were very vocal and very loud," he continued.
"[Peya's] head went down pretty early and that really helped set the tone for the rest of the match.
"The crowd were a big factor in that."