INQUIRER Sports

LONDON ? Andy Murray insists the heartache of his Wimbledon semi-final defeat against Rafael Nadal will provide all the motivation he needs to finally end his Grand Slam drought.

Murray's bid to become the first British man to reach the final of the men's singles at the All England Club since 1938 ended in bitter disappointment as he was overwhelmed 6-4, 7-6, 6-4 by Nadal on Friday.

The Scot had dropped just one set en route to the last four and looked in his best form of the year.

But he was dismissed from the tournament in comprehensive fashion as Nadal produced one of the most complete performances of his career.

Murray hardly disgraced himself and, on another day against another opponent, his display might even have been enough to win.

But Nadal was simply awesome. His serve was so accurate that he was broken only once by Murray and his fearsome forehand kept the world number four from taking control at any stage of the match.

Murray's competitive instincts were dulled in the aftermath of an equally chastening defeat against Roger Federer in the Australian Open final in January and his form slumped badly as a result.

He is adamant that won't be the case this time as he prepares for the American hard court season and the US Open.

"I hope it does make me more determined to win a Grand Slam. In the past it has made me work harder," Murray said.

"It happened to me once that I suffered a bit, whether it was to do with the loss in Australia, whether it was other things going on, you never know.

"But I work hard and I hope it doesn't happen again. I've normally played well in the American hard court stretch after Wimbledon. Hopefully I'll play well again now."

Murray's semi-final loss was the 10th failure by a British man at the semi-final stage here since Bunny Austin's 1938 final appearance.

The 23-year-old, who was also defeated by Andy Roddick at this stage last year, refused to blame the pressure and scrutiny that comes with being the only serious home-based contender for the title.

"There's a lot much pressure playing here. But it doesn't affect the outcome of the matches. It's not a valid excuse to make," he said.

"I've played really well the whole tournament. I obviously want to win for myself. I want to win for the guys I work with. I want to win for the UK.

"It's definitely a little bit more disappointing than other Grand Slams because this one is the biggest one of the year for me."

Murray believes he can be satisfied with his fortnight's work at the Championships, but inevitably a nagging sense of regret will accompany him when he jets off for a much-needed holiday next week.

"A few weeks ago no one would have given me much of a hope of getting to the semis because I wasn't doing well, then I played a good tournament here," he said.

"But right now I'm very disappointed at the match. I'll look back at the tournament as a whole in a few weeks as a good one, just not great.

"I'll probably go on holiday now and stay away from the tennis court for a while."