Andy Murray is relying on strategic scheduling to allow him to stay eager and fit despite a busy stretch of tournaments.
The world No. 2 has won, or reached the final, at every tournament he has played since the Madrid Masters in early May, atp. However, he did not play any events between his title at Wimbledon and the Olympics, a deliberate break designed to help him keep up his form through the rest of the hard-court season.
"I think I made a good decision to take 10 full days off,” he told TennisTV, “so I could feel as fresh as possible for the Olympics, and the next month or so.”
The 29-year-old, who did not practice or work out in the gym during his vacation, said the move was based on experience.
"You have to be smart,” he said. “When the days are there to rest, to take them. Sometimes when you've got a lot of big competitions [in a row], you want to get on court and improve and work on things. But as you get older, you realize being fresh is really important [at] this stage of the season.
"You know, when you have a couple of days you can take off, you really need to use them."
Though he acknowledged that he’s tired as he starts play at the Western & Southern Open, Murray expects the additional rest to help him bounce back the following week.
"This week is going to be tough for me,” he said, “but come the U.S. Open, I think I'll be good."
Murray is the top seed in Cincinnati.