Andy Murray: Serve must improve if I want to challenge on clay

Andy Murray: Serve must improve if I want to challenge on clay

Murray won a titanic duel with David Ferrer in the Miami final, fighting back from match point down to win 2-6 6-4 7-6 (7-1).

The victory means he climbs above Roger Federer and becomes the world No 2 for the first time. And for the first time since 2003, neither Federer or Rafa Nadal are in the top two.

But the tour now moves on to clay where Murray - who prefers fast surfaces - has never had much success.

He admits his first serve percentage against Ferrer, just 54 per cent, is something he will have to improve.

"I served poorly. If I'd served better I could have made it easier and that's something I need to do better in the clay court season," he told Sky Sports 1.

"This week I did a lot of things well but I need to serve better. If I serve better I'll be able to win matches like today more comfortably. It's easier to return on clay so it's even more important to serve well."

Conditions

Although eager to improve, Murray - who will next compete in Monte Carlo - also suggested he is already on an upward curve.

"It was a strange match. I just managed to fight well in the end in incredibly difficult conditions.

"That sort of match a couple of years ago I probably would have lost...I was up a break three or four times in the third set and kept letting him back in through some loose shots.

"I tried to keep fighting, chased down every ball, made it as hard for him as possible. There was a lot riding on the match and I was glad to get through in the end.

"It was such a tough match, it could have gone either way, both of us were struggling physically at the end," said Murray whose victory was his second at Miami following his triumph in 2009.

"It's so tough against him. He has a great attitude, he's a great fighter. I am sure we will have more tough matches in the future.

"Every time I play him people expect me to win. He's a great player. He's a fighter. He didn't even play his best tennis and he still could have won the match."

Ferrer failed - by half a centimetre on his match point - in his bid to win his first title in the USA and become the first Spaniard to win the Miami title.

But he remains unable to crack the top four in the world rankings in finals where his record is played 12, lost 12.

"I am tired. It was a very long match," Ferrer said. "Andy had more at the end. Congratulations to him."