Rio 2016: Andy Murray to avoid staying in Olympic village during gold medal defence

Andy Murray will not stay in the Olympic Village at Rio 2016 and plans to prepare to defend his singles gold medal while sharing an apartment with the rest of the British team. The world number-two wants to repeat his preparation from London 2012 when he stayed away from the non-British athletes and went on to beat Roger Federer in the men's final and won mixed doubles silver alongside Laura Robson.

Murray mixed with international competitors from other sports in Beijing 2008 but failed to make it past the first round. Though the British number-one did spend time in the village during the London games, he was stationed elsewhere due to the competition being played at Wimbledon; a venue which was based on the opposite side of the city.

Though the Olympic Village is based on the same site as the Olympic Tennis Centre in Rio, Murray will stick to the formula which delivered two medals four years ago. An isolated apartment will also ensure he avoids unwanted attention from fellow-athletes seeking autographs and pictures – a fate which befell both Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova

"I'm not staying in the village," he said after his Madrid Masters win over Radek Stepanek, according to Sky Sports. "I'm staying in an apartment with the rest of the team. To be honest, when I stayed in the village in Beijing I had a great time but my tennis was pretty bad there. I did something different obviously during London and that worked out well for me.

"My job there is to try to prepare as best I can and win a medal for my country. I think the best way to do that is to sort of prepare like you do for other events where you're in your own space. It's different than what we're used to. I think that's why the players are staying outside."