Andy Murray: Clothing performance key for extreme conditions in tennis

Updated 25/04/2016 at 12:05 GMT

Andy Murray has spoken about the importance of his clothing choices in dealing with the extreme conditions players face on the ATP Tour.

Britain's Andy Murray in Davis Cup action

Image credit: AFP

Murray, currently the world number two, believes that having the right clothing can make a crucial difference at the top level of the sport, particularly given that top athletes can reportedly lose up to eight per cent of their body weight during high-intensity competition.

The reigning Olympic singles champion, who has Wimbledon and US Open Grand Slam titles to his name, says making little adjustments is key to ensuring he is well prepared for every condition given that he has faced 75 and 104 degree Fahrenheit heat in Dubai and Melbourne respectively.

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“We play in quite extreme conditions – like in Australia you can go from playing one day in 40-degree heat, and the next day you play in the evening and it can be 17-18 degrees,” Murray told Eurosport.

There can be big, big changes so having different clothes for different conditions that perform very differently is important.

Some players on the Tour are famous for wearing outlandish shirts and making eye-catching statements with their clothes, but Murray says he is focused purely on ensuring that he gets the highest performance possible.

“Obviously you want your clothes to look good and fit properly as well, but I’m more interested in how they perform,” Murray said.

Andy Murray in training (Under Armour)

Image credit: Eurosport

“I know some of the guys are involved in all the discussions and details around their clothes and how they look but for me not so much!

For me, I’m more interested in how it [clothing] performs than the colours.

Andy Murray in training (Under Armour)

Image credit: Eurosport

“As long as I feel like it’s helping me when I’m on the court and the shoes are as good as they can be and I can make adjustments to them whenever I want.

Conditions Sloane Stephens and Andy Murray have had to deal with on Tour (Under Armour)

Image credit: Eurosport

“Something that’s been really good since I started working with Under Armour has been that they are always making small changes and little adjustments to try to improve the clothes and that’s really the most important thing for me.”

Murray will begin his quest for a first French Open title at Roland Garros from May 16 before Wimbledon and the Olympic Games in Rio in what will be a hectic but enthralling summer of tennis.