Andy Murray insists the prospect of returning to Wimbledon to compete for an Olympic medal has eased his heartache in the aftermath of his emotional final defeat against Roger Federer.
World number four Murray will be back in action at Wimbledon to represent Britain in the Olympic tennis event just three weeks after making a tearful exit from the All England Club.
The 25-year-old Scot wept openly on Centre Court during a television interview just moments after Federer ended his hopes of becoming the first Briton to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936.
In the circumstances, Murray, who has lost all four of his Grand Slam final appearances, could have been forgiven for wanting to be anywhere but Wimbledon for the foreseeable future.
But he is relishing the chance to go for gold in the Olympic event and cannot wait to get back in action on the lush lawns of southwest London.
"I think it was good for me the Olympics came so soon after Wimbledon, that gave me an extra push and extra motivation to get back on court and not think too much about the final," he said.
"I feel fine just now. I've been practising now for a week. If the Olympics wasn't here I would have taken two or three weeks off but I just took four or five days off and got back on the court.
"I would expect that by now I'm experienced enough and had enough tough losses to be able to deal with the final."
Murray's form has often nose-dived after Grand Slam final defeats and he has made a conscious effort to avoid a repeat this time.
With that in mind, he made a quick return to Wimbledon only days after losing to Federer and spent time sitting on Centre Court so he could reflect on the final and start to move on.
"I thought a little bit about the match and then was thinking what it will be like playing at the Olympics because it's changed so quickly after the tournament," he said.
"They had all the London 2012 backdrops at the back of the court and I guess that maybe got my mind looking forward to this event."
Murray admits he was still distraught in the first few hours after leaving Wimbledon following the final, but some time with his family and friends, including a trip to a television comedy show, helped his mindset.
"I go to quite a lot of comedy shows because laughing is normally the best way to get over most things," he said.
