ANDY MURRAY HAS secured victory in the Brisbane International final, defeating Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-1 6-3 early on Sunday morning.
The victory marks the perfect preparation for the upcoming Australian Open, due to start on 16 January, and is Murray’s first under new coach Ivan Lendl.
The Scot won nine straight from 1-1 in the first set and, despite a slight wobble in the second where he went from 4-0 to 4-3, victory was never in doubt for the world number four.
“I’d like to say sorry to Alex; he had a problem with his leg,” Murray said when addressing the crowd after the match.
“It’s my first week with this new team and it was good. Mr Lendl – he’s up there somewhere, hiding.
“I really enjoyed it. Hopefully it’ll bring more success in the future.”
The win was Murray’s 22nd career title, though he is still chasing a first Grand Slam victory at the age of 24. He feels that the experience of Lendl could help him finally get over that hurdle.
“He knows the feeling of playing a Grand Slam final, the nerves, he understands all that stuff,” Murray told BBC Radio 5 live’s Sportsweek.
“We’ve spoken about working hard and focussing on the process and not worrying about past results or things that have happened in the past.”
