With victory over Roger Federer in ATP Masters finals on two occasions, Andy Murray can look back on 2010 with pride, but the long wait for a British Grand Slam winner continues into 2011.

Q: You seemed destined to break the Grand Slam duck in Melbourne but Roger Federer stood in the way again – what happened?

A: I worked really, really hard to try to do it and give myself the opportunity. So far it’s not been good enough but I’m sure one day it will be. Of course, I’m hungry to win one – when it comes, maybe because of the two losses it will be even better.

Q: Did the expectation you put on yourself make defeat that much more emotional?

A: I think it was more the way the end of the match finished.Obviously it was a pretty emotional end to the match. If it was a complete blow-out, if I lost 3, 4, and 2, it probably wouldn’t have happened. But I had my chance to get back into the match. That was probably why I was upset. I’m not going to be too disappointed. I’ve got a long career ahead of me and I’m going to have more opportunities to win them.

Q: The clay season is not your favourite, but did you hope to achieve greater things against Thomas Berdych at Roland Garros?

A: That was a tough match. Thomas played really well and I couldn’t get much going. It was tricky conditions in that fourth round – very heavy – and he served very well and hit a big ball. It was frustrating because I felt so great in the first week and couldn’t produce the goods when it mattered. On the tournament as a whole, I played some good tennis and the rain delays were a new experience for me to learn to deal with. Coming back from a couple of sets and a break down against [Richard] Gasquet was huge for me.

Q: How much of a setback was it to crash out of Wimbledon in the semi-finals again?

A: In the build up, no-one gave me much of a hope of getting to the semis because I wasn’t playing well. I look back at the tournament as a good one, just not great. The defeat to Rafa [Nadal] itself was was very disappointing but my resolve is strengthened after defeats like this – they drive me to work harder.

Q: How much did you enjoy playing at Wimbledon this year?

A: The support was great the whole tournament. Every year I’ve played here the support’s been great. I’m disappointed for them as well that I haven’t yet gone all the way. I obviously gave it my best in 2010, but I want to try and win the tournament. I couldn‘t quite do it this time 

Q: How much of a boost is it to win big events like the World Tour Masters tournaments, as you did on two occasions this year?

A: Shanghai was a very, very good week for me. My serve and return worked well and it was great to beat Roger in straight sets in the final. I was really happy with that. In Toronto, three good results in a row against [David] Nalbandian, Rafa and Roger gave me great confidence going into the US Masters. Winning a tournament is always great, but it’s the first time I beat Roger and Rafa in the same tournament, which is probably the most pleasing thing. And I didn’t drop a set against either of them. It’s so tough to close out a match against Roger so to do it twice in ATP finals means a lot to me. 

Q: How difficult was it to sack your coach Miles Maclagan in July?

A: It was obviously a hard decision and one that wasn’t the nicest thing to have to take. But it wasn’t that tough to make up my mind because we were quite far apart in what we thought. There were different ways of seeing things; what I felt was beneficial to me and what Miles and Alex felt was beneficial tome. The last few years have gone very, very well but I wanted to look to improve and become better – try and get to number one in the world, try and win Grand Slams. I need to be comfortable in the setup that I have and the structure. I must have 100 per cent confidence that everyone that’s working with me believes it’s the right thing to do. 

Q:Was the dynamic in Team Murray wrong or did time run its course?

A: There are always going to be disputes. I think two and a half years is quite a long relationship on the tour. I obviously was working with both Miles and Alex for that time, as well. So I don’t think it would change the way that I view that sort of structure. If you have the right people in place, they can work together. 

Q: Did your fine run of form make it all the more disappointing to crash out early at the US Open?

A: The most disappointing aspect was that I struggled physically at Flushing Meadows after coming through five consecutive playing days in Toronto with no problems. I tried to find a way to come back against Stanislas [Warwrinka] but couldn’t quite do it.

Q: How much do you enjoy playing in the ATP Finals at the O2?

A: It’s obviously great any time you get to play in front of home support, it makes such a big difference, and it’s nice getting the chance to stay in central London for a change. I used to live in Wandsworth, so I spent a bit more time here back then, but now it’s just for the odd dinner or meeting.