Jamie Murray watched brother Andy clinch US Open glory from a Luxembourg hotel room

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Jamie Murray watched brother Andy clinch US Open glory from a Luxembourg hotel room

AS Andy Murray landed back in the UK at Heathrow yesterday to applause and cheers as the newly-crowned US Open champion, life on the tennis tour continued for his brother Jamie as he took to an indoor hard court in Luxembourg for a Challenger event.

The contrast is quite something, but such is the nature of the tour that Jamie can't afford to take some time off to welcome his brother home and join in the celebrations.

Currently No.45 in the doubles rankings and with a stack of points to defend over the coming weeks, the hard work must continue for Jamie in Petange.

Jamie continued the Murray theme of success, teaming up with Brazil's Andre Sa to clinch a first-round straight sets victory. Scheduled first up on court at 11am, it is just as well he had not been asked to play the previous day, after staying up late to watch his brother finally achieve what he has worked so hard for.

"I just watched it in the hotel here until 3am in the morning," said Jamie. "It was a late night. It was worth it, though."

"I don't normally sit in the box at his matches," he added. "I don't really enjoy the match that way, although I'm sure if I was there I would have watched it in the stadium somewhere. I was happy watching it in front of the TV. It's a bit less stressful."

Jamie clearly takes much satisfaction in seeing his younger brother finally accomplish what so many had wondered would ever happen. He knows more than most what it means to Andy, having been by his side on the doubles court in the midst of his previous post-Grand Slam final slumps.

But just what has Jamie seen in his brother this year that has helped him overcome the major hurdle?

"I think the mental side is the thing that was missing the most really from his performances in those previous matches," said Jamie, "whether it was Grand Slam finals or sometimes in the semis when he has come up against those guys [Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic].

"But all this year and in all those matches he has performed a lot better; the mental side is a huge part of that, whether that's been [Ivan] Lendl's influence or him just maturing and getting older. I'm sure it's probably a bit of both. It's combined well and I think that's what has got him over the finishing line in one of those tournaments."

With Andy taking on a media frenzy of interviews since Monday night, the brothers have not had a chance to chat yet. Messages have been sent, though, and Jamie has resisted the temptation to exchange any banter about Andy finally catching up with him in the Grand Slam title count five years after he won the mixed doubles at Wimbledon with Jelena Jankovic.

"I just wrote to him as he was so busy after the match with all the media and whatnot," said Jamie. "I told him well done and all that stuff. I will probably chat to him today or tomorrow or whatever."

After a busy period of tournaments in the coming fortnight, which will see Jamie play with Sa in Metz and Bangkok, he will likely next see Andy face-to-face in Tokyo, where the pair will hope to defend the Japan Open doubles title they won together last year.

And Jamie has not ruled out the possibility of aiming to claim success on the doubles court at Wimbledon together with his brother one day, although that would likely come towards the tail end of Andy's career when hopefully he has already claimed singles success at SW19.

"I think we have said we always wanted to play Wimbledon one year together," he said, "but I'm sure that won't happen for a few more years anyway, certainly while he's still at the top of the game."

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