Murray has time for reflection

US Open champion Andy Murray headed home to Surrey on Wednesday to be reunited with his dogs and his own bed and take time to reflect on the achievement of a lifetime.

The 25-year-old went two nights virtually without sleep as he completed a whirlwind media tour of New York following his five-set victory over Novak Djokovic in his fifth grand slam final on Monday.

He then flew back to London overnight with girlfriend Kim Sears and his team, arriving at Heathrow's Terminal 5 on Wednesday morning, where he was greeted by photographers and excited holidaymakers.

Murray is not due to be back in action until the start of next month, when he defends titles in Tokyo and Shanghai, allowing him a few days for a rare break.

In this most hectic of summers, Murray has barely had any time off since the French Open in May, and did not even have a day to enjoy his Olympic gold medal before he flew to north America for a tournament in Toronto.

He is hoping to travel to Scotland to see family and take part in the Olympic parade in Glasgow on Friday, while coach Ivan Lendl will undoubtedly be keen to look ahead as soon as possible.

But Murray will also soak up the realisation of a dream - and no doubt smile with satisfaction that he has banished the recurring question of whether he will win a grand slam to history.

He said: "Since I was 21 I've been asked it most of my life, and it really started to get to me earlier this year. Everywhere I went I got asked the same thing.

"A lot of people would come up to me and say, 'You'll get the next one, don't worry about it,' which almost made it worse. I'm just glad I can move on with my career now.

"If I was to stop playing tennis now, I'd retire very happy, but I've hopefully got five more years or so at the top of the game. That's what I'll try and do, if I can stay healthy and look after my body. That's my plan."