Ruben Loftus-Cheek has revealed that talking to Andy Murray helped him get into a place where he was comfortable playing football at the highest level.
The key midfielder has been one of Chelsea's best players so far this season and continued to impress under Graham Potter after starting well under Thomas Tuchel as well. The 26-year-old was used throughout last term but mainly as a substitute and often out of position.
In his appearances this campaign, he has not only been vital due to injuries across the midfield, but he has also added physicality and a new element that has been missing from Chelsea. On top of that, it is simply refreshing to see him playing consistently as it is.
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There have been several points since his loan to Crystal Palace in 2018 that his career at Stamford Bridge may well have ended. His injury setback in 2019 was followed by a low-key loan to Fulham. Since then, he has managed to remain available for the biggest patch of his professional days.
The key behind his return to first-team football has an unlikely source though, and talking to Murray this summer was a big help. "I went to see Andy play and train at Surbiton in the summer - I am a big tennis fan, and we had a good chat at the Laver Cup," Loftus-Cheek said ahead of Chelsea's key Champions League away clash against RB Salzburg.
"It was good to find out how he sees himself, talk about his career, the injuries that have hindered him through it – he had a big one with his hip."
Murray has struggled with persistent injuries throughout his life and overcame them to win Wimbledon twice and the US Open, as well as reaching No.1 in the world. "We had a good chat to compare our careers and how injuries have been a big part, but I feel good now – strong and fit," Loftus-Cheek added. "Being injury-free in the past couple of years has been a big positive for me, and I feel like I am now at a moment in my career at Chelsea where I am impacting games. It hasn't always been like that, for various reasons, but it's what I've been wanting to feel since I was 17 or 18."
Due to his form, Loftus-Cheek is now being tipped with a late surge into Gareth Southgate's England squad for the 2022 winter World Cup. He was picked in 2018 after his loan at Selhurst Park but hasn't regained a place since. His versatility as a wingback also makes him an option, but it's not the first thing to focus on: "A lot has happened in that time, and if I go to the World Cup, it would mean the world to me, but that is not at the forefront of my mind right now.
"There are important matches coming up in the Champions League and Premier League for Chelsea, so it would be selfish to think about my personal aspirations rather than the club at the moment.
"But when that upward trajectory is taken away from you, the toughest part is the mental side of it. Even though I have put in a lot of energy and work physically in the gym to get back to how I am feeling now, the mental side – staying focused and diligent and having the belief that I could get back to where I was – was the hardest part.
"There are still lots of ups and downs, but the only way to get there is to have belief in yourself. I always tried to stay positive. That's the main thing."
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