In the aftermath of his tumultuous Wimbledon triumph Andy Murray could find peace in only two places: within his own four walls and in the eerie quiet of a deserted Centre Court.
He felt the need to lock himself away at his Surrey home in the days after he became the first British man to win the singles title in 77 years, before returning to where it had all happened for him on that heady Sunday four weeks ago.
Speaking for the first time since going to ground in the wake of his greatest victory, the 26-year-old Scot sat in a corner of the converted baseball stadium here where he will return to action in the Rogers Cup.
‘I spent two days inside my house and I didn’t come out,’ he told Sportsmail.
Back in action: Murray returns to the tour this week in Montreal for the Rogers Cup
IT'S ALL GO FOR ANDY
Aug 5-11: Canadian Open
Aug 11-18: Cincinnatti Masters
Aug 19-25: Practice in New York
Aug 26-Sep 9: US Open
Sep 13-15: Croatia vs GB Davis Cup
Sep 23-29: Thailand Open
Sep 30-Oct 6: Japan Open
Oct 6-13: Shanghai Masters
Oct 28-Nov 3: Paris Open
Nov 4-11: ATP World Tour Finals
‘I was just with my girlfriend and my dogs, I was getting followed everywhere so I just stayed inside. On the Thursday evening I went out in Wimbledon Village with a few friends for a Thai meal.’
The place where Murray found most inner contentment was at the All England Club itself: ‘I went there on the Friday to pick some of my stuff up and I wanted to see Doug Dickson, the locker-room attendant who is retiring.
‘There was absolutely nobody there and it’s strange but it was the quietest place I could go.
‘I went and sat on the Centre Court, they were about to rip it up and reseed it. I just sat there on my own, reflecting; that was probably the coolest experience.
‘That week I didn’t have trouble going to sleep but I found myself waking up about four or five every morning and then struggling to get back to sleep.’
At last: Murray became the first British winner of the gentlemen's singles at Wimbledon for 77 years
The last time he was seen in public was, most unusually, emerging from a West End nightclub in the early hours following the marathon Monday of interviews and a visit to Downing Street.
In Montreal he was back on much more familiar terrain, practising on a court next door to Rafael Nadal, who for once found himself reduced to a mere sideshow as fans packed six-deep into the spectator alleyway to catch a glimpse of the 25-year-old Scot.
Murray has much enjoyed being the champion so far, although there has been the odd inconvenience, such as being stalked when on holiday with girlfriend Kim Sears in the Bahamas.
Good times: Murray and Kim Sears unwind in the Bahamas following his historic Wimbledon victory last month
Roll of honour: Murray was victorious in Montreal in 2009 after beating Juan Martin del Potro in the final
‘We went down to the beach the first day but then the next day I got messages that there were pictures all over the place. So we didn’t go back there and stayed in the resort.
‘But not much seems to have changed, it’s been good. It’s been really nice getting messages from other players.
‘I probably had more than after the US Open because they can understand how hard it is to win your home Grand Slam.’
Now he starts the build-up to the defence of his US Open title, another novel experience.
With a bye through the first round here he will face either Grigor Dimitrov or Marcel Granollers, against whom he retired at the Italian Open when dreams of Wimbledon glory seemed remote indeed.
Nobody need fear that the Scot has suddenly gone Hollywood on us after the seismic events at SW19. The fact that Murray arrived in the middle of last week to get ready in the company of Ivan Lendl was a statement that his work is far from done for the season.
‘Practising in Miami was going back to reality, it was so hot there I could only practise for one-and-a-half hours per day.
‘I didn’t pick up a racket for two weeks so the first couple of practices were tough, I was hitting the ball really badly. But when my body started to feel better it started to go better.
‘I got to enjoy winning Wimbledon for a couple of weeks but now it’s back to work. Maybe it’s been easier to get back to work than it was after the US Open.’
This week there will be no more questions about Fred Perry, the kind he became so used to batting away.
New experience: Murray will defend a Grand Slam title for the first time at the US Open in New York
Murray added: ‘I’m happy not to hear from now on how long it has been. I was in his shadow for a lot of my career but he is someone who has been very relevant to me. I don’t want to forget about him or about that.
‘I want to try and win another Grand Slams, I want to try and win as many as I can.
‘It took me a long time to win my first one and I want to give myself another opportunity at the US Open. I had a talk with my team about that a few days ago.’
With some distance between now and the events of Wimbledon he also spelled out in frank terms just how great a contribution Lendl has made to two Grand Slam titles and an Olympics in the past year.
Experience in the corner: Murray has recognised the contribution Lendl has made to his success
‘Speaking to him made me feel a little more normal about it. Being able to speak to him on an emotional level really helped.’
Something else has happened. British players really look like they are responding to the success of Murray, such as brother Jamie and GB singles No 2, James Ward.
The latest in a series of encouraging results have come this week, with Dan Evans last night in the final of the Vancouver Challenger and Jo Konta winning the women's event there.
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