Murray: Win was down to 'hot' yoga

Andy Murray admitted an unorthodox yoga technique helped give him the mental strength to clinch a 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 6-4 victory over world number one Roger Federer at the Barclays Dubai Open.

The 20-year-old Scot, who remained calm and composed throughout the match, was introduced to Bikram or 'hot' yoga by his new fitness trainers Jez Green and Matt Little.

"It has helped me a lot with my fitness and my mental strength because it's tough being in that kind of heat for that length of time," said Murray. "I've been really mentally weak for such a long time and not held up in pressure situations, and I think I showed (against Federer) that was not going to be an issue."

He added: "The most important thing is just to believe you can win the match.

"I think too many times on the tour some guys try to play almost too well, and it's really important to stay patient and not make rash decisions early in the match.

"And I definitely didn't do that here - that's one of the keys. I stayed calm the whole way through the match."