Wimbledon 2014: Salmon, steak or chicken - the (rather boring) secrets of Andy Murray's diet

Salmon, steak or chicken: Did they help Andy Murray win this Gentlemen's Singles match against Blaz Rola? (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Andy Murray has revealed the rather bland secrets of the diet that will see him through his Wimbledon defence, saying that when he comes home after a hard day on one of the show courts, his long-time girlfriend cooks him one of a choice of only three dinners.

Writing on a blog on his official website, Murray said: “You might not be surprised to hear that I don’t order a pizza when I get in, my dinner options are kept simple during Wimbledon. I have either salmon with rice, roast chicken with vegetables and potatoes, or steak with salad.

“My girlfriend Kim [Sears] will cook and I know each night that it will be one of those three. I had salmon on Tuesday night, so I knew that on Wednesday it would be one of the other two. My guess was steak.”

Last year it emerged that Murray was partial to sushi and would occasionally eat 50 pieces in a single day to work towards the 6,000 calories he needs to maintain his muscular 6ft 3 physique. Fish contains omega-3 and is linked to heart protection and improved circulation, while rice is a good source of protein.

While he admitted on his blog that his dinner options during the tournament were “limited”, he reassured his fans by telling them that “breakfast-time can be a bit more creative”.

“I usually have a smoothie and on Tuesday morning it involved strawberry yogurt, raspberries, apple juice – a bunch of stuff – and then I had an apple and a peach,” he wrote. “I also had a bagel with banana. I’ve been asked a lot of questions about all sorts of things during my career, and so I think I’ve said somewhere in the past that I don’t like bananas. Well, I can update you – if I mush it up and put it on a bagel, it’s fine! I guess it must be the consistency.”

Novak Djokovic has long observed a gluten-free diet after advice from his nutritionist, cutting out out bread and pizza, which he credited with transforming his fitness levels. Sabine Lisicki has also gone gluten-free, but when Murray tried, the experience did not go well.

“I tried it for a couple of months and felt awful,” he said at last year’s US Open. “I lost all my energy and felt so weak. I didn’t feel it helped me at all, so I just went back to do doing what I did before. It was working fine for me, so I haven’t changed that too much since.”