ANDY MURRAY admitted an unorthodox yoga technique helped give him the mental strength to clinch victory in three sets over world No.1 Roger Federer at the Barclays Dubai Open.
The unseeded Scot will now face Spain's Fernando Verdasco in the last 16.
The British No.1 narrowly lost the first set 8-6 on a tie break but clinically took the first break point in the second set to break Federer's serve in the sixth game. M
urray then broke Federer in the fifth game of the third set before he served out for a 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 6-4 victory.
The 20-year-old Scot, who remained calm and composed throughout the match, was introduced to Bikram or 'hot' yoga by his new fitness trainers Jez Green and Matt Little.
And Murray admitted the exercises in heat in excess of 40C helped his mental strength and prepare for games in hotter climes.
"It's a little bit ugly – I started in December to try to improve my flexibility in preparation for the Australian Open," Murray said.
"It has helped me a lot with my fitness and my mental strength because it's tough being in that kind of heat for that length of time. I've been really mentally weak for such a long time and not held up in pressure situations, and I think I showed (against Federer] that was not going to be an issue.
"The most important thing is just to believe you can win the match.
"I think too many times on the tour some guys try to play almost too well, and it's really important to stay patient and not make rash decisions early in the match. And I definitely didn't do that today – that's one of the keys. I stayed calm the whole way through the match."
It was Murray's second consecutive victory over Federer and the first time the Swiss has lost a first-round match since the summer of 2004.
The pair first met in Bangkok in September 2005 when Federer won in straight sets although Murray won the second encounter against the Swiss having defeated him in Cincinnati in August 2006. Murray, who has won tour events in Qatar and Marseille this year, felt his serve was crucial in helping him to victory in their third meeting.
"In terms of my serving that was pretty special today," Murray told the tournament's official website. "I've worked on my serve a lot and to beat Federer in a three-set match and not have a break point against you, I don't think that's happened to him for a long time.
"That was something I was really happy with because I have worked on that a lot and it held up in the pressure situations.
"Each time I play him I have stepped my game up and played pretty well and I played really well today and served great – which was really the key.
"Sometimes he's going to play some unbelievable shots and you are not going to have a chance against him.
"I had to refocus at the start of the second set – I had not won a break point against him all match at that stage and I don't know the last time that happened."
World No.1 hardly gracious in defeatROGER FEDERER has blasted Andy Murray's tactics during the Scot's victory yesterday and has questioned whether he is making progress as a player.
Murray, 20, recorded his second consecutive win over the Swiss world No.1 in the first round of the Barclays Dubai Championships, adding to his victory in Cincinnati in 2006, with a 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 6-4 triumph at the Aviation Club Tennis Centre. But rather than give credit to the Briton's stellar performance, Federer insisted he was unimpressed by Murray's lack of attacking intent, and does not believe he has developed since they first crossed paths in the final of the 2005 Thailand Open.
"I don't think he has changed his game a whole lot since the first time I played him and I really thought he would have done," said Federer. "He stands way behind the court. You have to do a lot of running and he tends to wait for the mistakes of his opponent.
"I gave him the mistakes but overall in a 15-year career you want to look to win a point more often rather than wait for the other guy to miss.
"Who knows, he might surprise us all."
The full article contains 763 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
