Murray wants extra strength

Players Under the Microscope / Editor / 16 February 2007 / Leave a Comment

Andy Murray admits he is trying to add more power to his game as he prepares to face Hyung-Taik Lee in the last eight of the SAP Open.

The British number one faces the South Korean for a place in the semi-finals but, ahead of the clash, told his official website he is looking to bulk up and emulate Roger Federer's physique in a bid to add more power to his game.

"I think (Roger) Federer is a good person for me to look at as he has big legs like me and was thin in his upper body when he was younger," he said.

"I just want to put about eight or nine more pounds on then I will be happy with that weight. You can't go and ask Olivier Rochus if he will ever have a body like Marat Safin - it's not possible.

"Just because you have bulk like that doesn't necessarily make you more efficient, if that was the case then I wouldn't be able to serve harder than (Rafael) Nadal."

Murray added: "It also depends how you determine strength. Is it how long you can last, how hard you can hit the ball, how big you can serve, how much weight you can lift, or who has more muscles?"

The appointment of Brad Gilbert as his new coach appears to have given the 19-year-old a huge lift and he is close to breaking in the world's top ten, currently ranked at 13, while he gave world number two Nadal a real run for his money at the Australian Open before going down in five sets. Murray is available at 7.2 to win his first Grand Slam this year.

Meanwhile, the 19-year-old Scot admitted Lee will be his hardest opponent so far in San Jose but he is confident of victory.

"He had a good year last year and will be my toughest match so far I'll have to play well to win because he plays very solid," he added.

"If you go and look at the stats of my first two matches when my first serve has gone in I have won over 85% of the points so I'm getting cheap replies. What would be the point of hitting my first serve at 100mph and getting 65% in? It doesn't make sense and once I start getting even stronger the percentage will get better."

Although Murray is wary of the threat of Lee in the quarter-finals, punters appear to see only one winner as the Dunblane-born teenager is an overwhelming favourite at 1.14, with the former world number 48 available at 7.8.

The British number one is second favourite at 3.4 to retain his SAP Open title, behind Andy Roddick at 2.9, with the pair scheduled to meet in the semi-finals.