Andy Murray 'inspired' by fans to push for top spot

Murray has been in his hometown to thank fans for their support

Andy Murray has said the support he received following his Wimbledon final defeat this summer has inspired him to push for the world number one spot.

Speaking at a special homecoming event in Dunblane, Murray revealed it had made him want to start training hard again soon after the loss.

The world No 3 added that now was a good time for him "to try and push on".

The tennis star described the backing he got after the "tough" Wimbledon loss to Roger Federer as "amazing".

He told BBC Scotland: "I know that the support I got after I lost at Wimbledon was something that I hadn't really experienced before.

"It made me want to get back in the gym and start training hard again.

"When I had lost in big finals before, I hadn't wanted to get back in the gym - I struggled with motivation for a while afterwards."

The US Open champion and Olympic gold medallist said he had not set a timescale to try to reach the World No 1 spot.

"Every player that is near the top of any sport would want to be number one in the world," he said.

"I know how hard it is going to be to get there. I can't have tournaments where I am losing in the first round or being inconsistent for three or four months at a time.

Murray said he had no idea what to expect but his walkabout had been overwhelming

"I am going to have to play consistently well for the whole year - but with the way Wimbledon, the Olympics and now the US Open went, this is a good time for me to try and push on.

"If I can have a good finish to the year, I'll set myself up for a shot at that early in next year."

Murray was speaking as thousands of fans turned out on the streets of his hometown of Dunblane to celebrate his summer of success.

Earlier he had arrived on an open-top bus before taking part in a walkabout to sign autographs.

Praising those who turned up, he added: "I had no idea what to expect when I woke up this morning - you just never know because I have never done anything like that before.

"It was fairly overwhelming. I couldn't believe how many people were there. They stayed for four or five hours almost, and it was raining pretty hard at times as well."