Murray bans Christmas to keep heat on rivals

London, Nov.8 : Andy Murray will turn into a Scrooge this Christmas in his quest for Grand Slam glory.

The British tennis star will forego his traditional festive trip back to Dunblane in Scotsland with his family in favour of an intensive training programme in the heat of Miami.

Later this month, Murray will bid to end the year on a high by winning the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at London's O2 arena.

'It depends if I fancy it or not,' News of The World quoted Murray, as saying ahead of his semi-final clash in the Valencia Open last night.

'I don't think one day's training on Christmas day makes that big a difference. If you're spending Christmas away from your family, I think that's a big enough sacrifice in itself,' he added.

As he has for the past two years, Murray will spend December in Miami in an effort to be as well prepared as possible for the start of the New Year.

Until now, he has always made the journey back to Scotland before flying out to a tournament in Doha and then on to Australia.

--ANI