Andy Murray credits new coach Amelie Mauresmo with helping to quash his nerves as the champion kicked off his Wimbledon title defence with a 6-1 6-4 7-5 victory over Belgium's David Goffin.
Murray, attempting to become the first British man to successfully defend the Wimbledon title since Fred Perry in 1936, was riddled with anxiety ahead of the opening match of the tournament on Monday.
But he was able to deal with the bout of pre-match tension thanks to some words of wisdom from Mauresmo.
The Frenchwoman's surprise appointment as Murray's coach earlier this month has been questioned by some in the tennis world, but the 2006 Wimbledon winner has already begun to prove the critics wrong according to her new employer.
With Murray concerned about how he would cope with his first match back at Wimbledon since his historic final victory over Novak Djokovic last year, the 27-year-old was able to take inspiration from Mauresmo's advice during a dinner last week.
"I was nervous. I was probably a bit more nervous yesterday than I was today," Murray said.
"We went to dinner on the Wednesday. And I spoke to her a little bit about it and asked her how she dealt with it.
"One of the things she said was she tried to take in the atmosphere and the experience of walking out on the court as the defending champion. You never know if you'll get the chance to do it again."
Murray was also helped by the rapturous reception he received from the packed Centre Court crowd when he first emerged into the arena.
Murray's victory extended his winning run at the All England Club to 14 matches, a sequence which brought him the Olympics singles gold medal in 2012 and the Wimbledon crown last year.
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