Murray: My number one goal is to try and win here
When posed the question, what makes Andy Murray happy?, the world no.2 only had one thing on his mind.
“WINNING.“
After a brief pause, a thoughtful Murray expressed his singular focus of success in Melbourne, which is driving the Scot towards a tournament that has been both a successful one, but a hurdle still, with the big trophy eluding him in recent years.
"It'd mean a lot because of the number of times I've been close, four finals and a semi-final, this is one of my big goals for this year," Murray said today at an Under Armour event to launch their new CoolSwitch performance technology.
“I’ve trained hard and tried to get here as early as possible to prepare as best as I can. I’ve had a lot of tough losses here as well and I’d love to win this event.
"I'm doing everything I can to try and win here.
"My number one goal is to try and win here.”
Whilst he still maintains that reaching the top of the men's rankings is still a driving force of motivation, breaking through at Melbourne Park is the best way to kickstart his quest for the top in 2016.
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In search of his third Grand Slam title, the self-confessed sports tragic takes inspiration for success any place he can find it, from watching football to the NBA. Right now that inspiration comes from fellow Under Armour athlete, NBA Most Valuable Player Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
“The Warriors just now are the best basketball team by far, they’re doing incredible things, but I follow loads of sports; sports really are my passion, so any sort of great sporting performance gives me inspiration.
Despite a successful finish to 2015 and a solid preparation behind him, there is one man standing in Murray's way, the ever-consistent and seemingly impossible to unseat world number one, Novak Djokovic.
A man Murray acknowledges is playing as well as ever, but believes a combination of hard work and opportunism could provide the perfect storm for him to break his Melbourne Park hoodoo.
"You just have to keep trying to learn, watch his matches, try and see if there's any weaknesses there that you can capitalise on," he said.
"Maybe he has a drop off, it's very difficult to maintain that level for such a long period.
“When you train hard and you win and you get good performances then you feel like you deserve that because you’ve put the work in."
Between his Davis Cup heroics, climbing to his highest ever ranking and an extra early arrival in Australia, Murray certainly has put the work in.
But will that be enough?
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