If clutching a trophy in Sydney is a good omen, Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares are in for a huge Australian Open 2019.
The British/Brazilian duo were crowned champions in the Harbour City for a second time last week to launch their fourth season together in fine form.
They return to Melbourne as the No.3 seeds and are well across the springboard their title run in Sydney proved to be in 2016.
“Australia was good to us because we won in Sydney and we won the Australian Open right after, at the beginning of our partnership,” Murray said. “We’d both come close to winning a Grand Slam in the past [with separate partners] but couldn’t quite get over the finishing line and were able to do that together in our third tournament so this is a special place for us.”
Murray sat courtside for what was potentially brother Andy’s final Australian Open singles campaign on Monday night, a losing five-set battle to Roberto Bautista Agut.
Murray needed no further impetus to get his hands on a third Grand Slam men’s doubles trophy this fortnight, but admitted his brother’s performance could help drive his own campaign.
“I guess so. It was obviously a difficult week for Andy, for the family,” he said. “But he had a great match the other night, a great atmosphere, a great reception from the crowd. The support he got from start to finish was just incredible.
“If it is his last AO it’s a great finish. He’s had an incredible career.”
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On-court partnerships can be quite the revolving door on tour as players jostle to jell, with the ultimate goal typically being Grand Slam success.
For Murray and Soares, their first year together – in 2016 – was by far their strongest together. They added a US Open title to their Sydney and Australian Open trophies in that season.
And while subsequent seasons have failed to add further slam silverware in the men’s doubles fold, they still managed three titles in 2017 and again in 2018.
“Why’s he been able to put up with me when so many others couldn’t?” Murray said of their ongoing success.
“They’re both married so they know how to make relationships work,” two-time Australian Open women’s doubles champion Bethanie Mattek Sands quipped.
Soares admitted while it was all based on results at the end of the day, it likely came down to patience. It was key not being too hasty to jump ship.
“There are some guys that panic a bit in the start about results and change partners too fast,” Soares said. “If you really believe in your partner you’ve got to wait a little bit and try to make the partnership work.
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“When we’ve had our ups and downs we’ve just tried to stay focused, try to improve. We’ve had three great seasons so far. If we have a bad season you never know, it might be time to change.
“But if you really believe you can still compete in the really big [tournaments] there’s no reason to change.”