Andy Murray not concerned by lack of extended playing time - 'that would be silly'

British number one has not dropped a set on his way to the semi-finals of the Australian Open

Andy Murray celebrates winning his quarter-final match against Jeremy Chardy (GETTY IMAGES)

Andy Murray raced into the semi-finals of the Australian Open here today with his fifth successive straight-sets victory but insisted he had no concerns about having reached the latter stages without being extended.

Murray, who beat Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 6-1, 6-2, said his 110-minute victory over the Frenchman was his best performance so far. “I thought I did a pretty good job throughout the match,” Murray said. “I can't be disappointed about being in the semis of a Slam without dropping a set. That would be silly.

“I think you have to trust yourself that when you are tested you're going to play better tennis. You never know for sure, but in the build-up to the tournament I played very well and I haven't lost a set here yet.”

Murray added: “I struggled in the last few rounds a little bit and my last opponent [Gilles Simon] was struggling physically, so it wasn't much of a match. Jeremy has beaten some great players, so I had to come out sharp.

“He's a tough guy to play against because of the nature of his game and his style. He goes for a lot of shots. He can play a couple of games where he misses and then for three or four games he's hot and makes very few errors and puts you under a lot of pressure. That’s why it's tough to play against him.”

Murray, who will meet Roger Federer in the semi-finals, felt so fresh after his victory over Chardy that he went for a practice session afterwards in Hisense Arena, the second of the show courts here. He wanted to have time playing under lights because every match he has played so far has been in the heat of the day. The semi-finals and final will be played in the evening in Rod Laver Arena.

“I played a couple of matches in the evening in Brisbane, but it's slightly different there because there's a roof,” Murray said. “I'll hit under the lights tonight and do the same tomorrow.”

PA