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Final thoughts

Final thoughts

Andy -

It is hard to describe the disappointment of losing a Grand Slam final, let alone as a British player at Wimbledon with such incredible home support.

You try to stay calm, hold it together and congratulate your opponent before thanking the fans, your team, the tournament staff and so on. If only it was that easy.

Having invested so much effort and received unbelievable backing, it is difficult to control your reaction. The last thing you want is to cry on court, but there we go.

This tournament, the public and my family and friends all mean a great deal. I’m more determined than ever to make sure I’m the guy lifting the trophy next time round.

Clearly I’m closer to winning that first major title and after my three previous finals ended in straight-set defeats, at least I managed to win one against Roger Federer on Sunday.

It was also my first Wimbledon final – so I’m evidently improving on grass – the best I’ve played in a Grand Slam final and the best I’ve felt on the court. I was more composed.

I felt better on the morning the match and during the entire build-up. There are plenty of good signs and even though it doesn’t get any easier to accept, I’m starting to handle certain situations better than I might have done in the past.

My team spent some time together on Sunday evening – they deserved to go out and enjoy themselves – but I wouldn’t have been good company. I went home and thought about stuff, worked things out in my head. 

The next 10 days or so are vital because the Olympics is fast approaching. I certainly won’t pick up a tennis racquet this week and I don’t know if I’ll stay in the country.

There’s a good chance I’ll try to find some sunshine; I may fly to Miami or go somewhere in Europe with my girlfriend and our dogs.

The disappointment will linger for as long as it needs to, it’s not a process I’ll rush. Sometimes getting back on the court quickly might work, but it can also have completely the opposite effect. I have to take the right amount of time off, let my body and mind fully recover.

Although I had back problems at the French Open, I have played well this year. I won Brisbane, lost a very close semi-final to Novak Djokovic at the the Australian Open, made the finals of Dubai and Miami, and reached three clay-court quarter-finals including Roland Garros.

If I can take those positive and combine them with the lessons we’ll learn from Sunday, I’m extremely confident I’ll do well at the Olympics, the US Open and beyond.

Another plus has been the contribution of Ivan Lendl since taking over as my coach in January. He is a massive help, especially when it comes to keeping cool, dealing with high-pressure situations and managing tough moments during important matches.

He’s made a big difference in the way I prepare for the majors, which is something I felt I needed or was maybe missing. Things are going in the right direction, but there’s much more to come.

Hopefully we’ll start to see that when I come back to Wimbledon for the Olympics. Sunday was painful, but the prospect of attempting to win a gold medal is already spurring me on.