"It’s not always fun with the kids, 4 little ones under 7 is difficult" - Andy Murray jokes after his wife Kim attends Brit's US Open 1R clash
After a straight-sets victory in the first round of the 2023 US Open, Andy Murray joked that having four children under the age of seven can be difficult to manage at times.
Murray defeated Corentin Moutet 6-2, 7-5, 6-3, in his opener at the New York Major, in an encounter that lasted more than three hours.
During the on-court interview after the match, Murray was asked about his family's support in New York as his wife Kim Sears was present in the stands.
"My wife's over there. The kids are back at the hotel. It's not always fun with them. Four little ones under 7 [years of age] are difficult at times," Murray said.
Murray and Sears have four children together - Sophia, Edie, Teddie, and Lola.
Andy Murray's victory over Moutet was his 200th at Grand Slam tournaments. He is now just three behind the legendary Pete Sampras, who occupies the eighth spot in the all-time rankings.
At the post-match press conference, Murray went deeper into how much having his family with him means to him.
"It's brilliant they managed to come out. That was the one benefit of the injury that I had was that I didn't obviously play in Cincinnati, so I got to spend more time with them," Murray said.
"They're actually flying home tomorrow to try and help them get over the jet lag before school starts next week. But, yeah, it's been good. They've enjoyed New York, I think," he added.
Andy Murray to face Grigor Dimitrov in the second round of the 2023 US Open
Andy Murray and Grigor Dimitrov will feature in a blockbuster match in the second round of the last Grand Slam of the year on Thursday, August 31.
Murray defeated France's Corentin Moutet 6-2, 7-5, 6-3, in the first round. Meanwhile, Dimitrov came back from two sets down to dispatch the Slovak Alex Molcan 6-7(9), 6-7(5), 6-1, 7-5, 7-6(9) after almost four hours of play.
The matchup might be weird for Murray, as Dimitrov is currently working with two coaches, Daniel Vallverdu and Jamie Delgado, both of whom have previously worked with the Brit.
"I've played quite a lot of matches against ex-coaches. I think I've only lost once," Murray said.
Murray talked about how the strategic part of tennis can often differ starkly from what actually happens on the court.
"I've said this a lot: it's not just with me, but with tennis in general, certain things look sort of easy from the outside, strategy-wise or tactically against lots of players. Once you get on the court, it's not always that easy to just go out and execute it. It's difficult. Shots that maybe look like they're easy to attack when you're out there, it's not quite the same," Murray explained.
In the end, he admitted that the Bulgarian might have a bit of an advantage because of his coaching arrangement.
"I mean, it probably should be a big advantage for him to have two guys that have worked with me over the years. But we'll find out in a couple of days," the three-time Grand Slam champion said.
The US Open clash will be the 12th head-to-head duel between Andy Murray and Grigor Dimitrov, with the Brit leading the score 8-3.