Andy Murray Should Choose His Tournaments Wisely, Says Former Mentor Sergio Casal

Andy Murray has been told to choose his tournaments wisely so that he would not have to go through the distress that he suffered against Roger Federer in the 2014 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. The Scot has exerted a lot of effort just to be able to qualify in the season-ending tournament only to be squashed by the Swiss great in straight sets, 6-0, 6-1, which was his worst result in seven years.

According to Murray's former mentor Sergio Casal, Murray needs to be smarter in 2015. Casal previously coached Murray at the Sanchez-Casal academy in Barcelona. Murray trained at Academia Sanchez-Casal in 2002 when he was only 15 years old. Murray trained there for two and a half years.

"He needs to choose well," Casal said via the Daily Record. "He did about five tournaments in a row before the World Tour Finals."

Murray has played six tournaments since his quarterfinals loss against Novak Djokovic at the 2014 U.S. Open. He won the title in Shenzhen, reached the quarterfinals in Beijing, round 16 in Shanghai, won the titles in Vienna and Valencia and reached the quarterfinals in the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris.

Casal said that it is tough for players like Murray to play for more than three tournaments right after the other. While it is best for young tennis athletes to compete in as many tournaments as they can, he thinks it is also best to choose the tournaments wisely so they can also protect their place in the world rankings. Casal thinks Murray has to do just that.

On the other hand, Casal feels certain that Murray is still at his peak to win more tournaments and even Grand Slam titles. The former professional tennis player who won three Grand Slam doubles titles said that Murray has three or four good years left in him.

Murray has recently flown to Manila for the first leg of the inaugural International Premier Tennis League. After his stint in the Southeast Asian nation, Murray is back home getting ready for his pre-season preparations.

Murray is slated to kick off his 2015 season at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship. The tournament will run from Jan. 1 to Jan. 3, 2015. Murray was the first athlete to win the event since its inception in 2009. The Scot defeated then World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the finals.