This is another valuable insight into the mindset of Murray, who last week said that British tennis players were lazy and moaned that his Wimbledon seeding wasn't high enough.

I assume he concurs with his mother's evaluation given that she found it acceptable to say so. If this is the case, at what stage does he go into a game thinking I'm not going to win this?

Maybe that stage will come if he reaches the last-eight that Tim Henman suggests he should aim for.

For me, adopting a frame of mind that says I'm probably not going to win the title, means that that outcome is always guaranteed. I can't see how sauntering along "just to see how it goes" will ever get him anywhere.

I wouldn't bother turning up to a competition if I didn't believe I could win it.

As for my mother, I would expect her to tell me not to bother coming home unless I did.

In contrast to Murray's lack of mental cohesion – and in my opinion trophies as a consequence – one bloke who gave an insight into a real champion's mindset is Tiger Woods.

He battled through the US Open last week, going on to win in a dramatic play-off finish against outsider Rocco Mediate (what a name), despite a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Woods has since had to step temporarily back from competition to undergo corrective surgery on a knee injury that carried him over the course at Torrey Pines.

The fascinating and admirable thing about this story is the way Tiger managed his injury. Most sportsmen and women use injuries as an excuse for not competing and /or competing poorly.

Not only was he able to manage his injury and go on to win, he was also mentally humble and tough enough to keep his problems away from the media until the US open was over – and over with a win.

For me that's a true champion's mindset and probably goes a long way to explaining why he's one of the biggest stars the sport has seen and why he's on his 14th Major.

Now the big debate is whether Tiger will ever be the same again, given the knee injuries he incurred resulted in arthroscopic surgery in 1994, 2002, 2007 and April this year.

Although Stanley Gene of Hull KR famously holds the rugby league record of returning from arthroscopic surgery after just three days, Tiger has set himself a month of rehabilitation, but added that stress fractures may set him back further.

I'm hardly putting my neck on the line when I say Tiger will not only brush aside this unfortunate but temporary episode in his career, but will go on to beat Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors.

The bloke has the mindset of a legend.