By Chris Oddo | Monday, August 11, 2014

 

Andy Murray feels he can return to form in time for this year's US Open, if only he could stop messing things up.

Photo Source: Al Bello/Getty

Andy Murray is nearly a year removed from the hip surgery that has curtailed the two-time Grand Slam champion’s progress in 2014, and he’s clearly done using the surgery as a crutch.

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This week in Cincinnati without his newly hired coach Amelie Mauresmo (she will return for the US Open), Murray gave his thoughts on his 2014. In Murray’s opinion, the problem isn’t getting healthy, or dealing with the expectations that have come with becoming Great Britain’s first Wimbledon champion in 77 years, it’s simply closing out matches.

"I've messed up a lot of matches this year, to be honest,” Murray told reporters in Cincinnati on Sunday, ahead of the Western and Southern Open. ''My year could have been a lot different if I finished those matches off. I need to stop messing up when I'm ahead.''

Murray has a 9-5 record in three-set matches in 2014, but he’s 0-4 against the top 25 in deciders. Murray lost to Rafael Nadal in Rome after winning the opening set, and he also fell to Milos Raonic at Indian Wells after taking the opener.

Last week in Toronto, Murray blew a 3-0 lead in the final set to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals. He also fell in a third-set tiebreaker earlier this season at Acapulco to Grigor Dimitrov. The Scot has still yet to reach a final since winning Wimbledon last year.

"You come back and you're not going to be maybe as confident because you haven't played so many matches," Murray said, according to Cincinnati.com. "I was more concerned about my health maybe. But now for me it is about winning. I feel healthy, and I trained extremely hard to get ready for this period, harder than I had since I came back from the surgery. I played well last week. I just messed up a few games and it cost me."

Murray, seeded 8th at Cincinnati this year, could face John Isner in the third round and Roger Federer in the quarterfinals. The 27-year-old won the title in Cincinnati in 2008 and 2011.