Unforced errors take blame as defeated Murray denies problems with Mauressmo

Mauresmo watched from a different part of the stadium to the box where the rest of Murray’s team and family were located as the world No 2 produced more than 50 unforced errors in a 6-7 (7/1) 6-4 6-3 loss to the Bulgarian.

Murray, who received a violation from the umpire for smashing his racket during the second set, insisted that Mauresmo was sat elsewhere in a bid to curb his on-court tantrums.

“I’ve just been trying to find different ways to improve my focus on the court,” said Murray. “I also did the same thing at the O2 Arena as well, so I’m trying to find different ways to improve and that’s something I’ve tested to see if that might help.

“If I’d had a falling out then Amelie wouldn’t be here at the tournament. We had dinner with all our families last night, so we certainly haven’t fallen out. It’s one of those things that when I win, no-one says anything about it, and then when I lose that’s an excuse. I don’t think that is the reason for me hitting 50 unforced errors in this match.”

The defeat, in which Dimitrov showed the sort of form which propelled him into the top 10 of the world rankings in 2014, brought to an end a difficult American hard-court swing of the season for Murray, facing challenges of life as a new parent.