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ANDY MURRAY has revealed he sleeps with a tennis racquet by his bed ready to smash any potential burglars.

The British No.1 thrilled the Queen’s Club crowd this week with a spectacular between-the-legs winner in the AEGON Championship final.

But the Scot has an even deadlier shot for any intruders after a false alarm at his Surrey home sent him to investigate dressed only in boxer shorts – and armed with his favourite weapon.

“I woke up in a panic when the alarm went off in the early hours of Monday morning,” said the world No.4.

“If I am staying in the house on my own, I always make sure I have got something next to the bed. A tennis racquet, if it’s in the right hands, can be quite dangerous.

“With just me and my ­girlfriend (Kim Sears) in the house, I thought I needed to be all macho and show them just who they were dealing with. I’ve got to say I was very relieved to find there was no-one there!

“If there had been, you would go with a forehand slice. But it certainly wasn’t ideal before a final.”

Once awake, the Scot stayed up to watch the NBA Finals before winning the 17th title of his career.

All the talk in the tennis world since then has been about his drop shot half-volley ‘tweener’ against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

And yesterday he jokingly promised to produce a “hotdog” – a between-the-legs shot with his back to the court – at Wimbledon next week.

“If I get the chance, I will do it,” he said. “Most of the time, if it’s an important moment, it’s not the right shot to hit, unless you really have to do it.

“You can normally get back, or put up a lob or, try and use your wrist.

“It is very difficult for the guy at the net if you run back, and shape to hit a forehand or a backhand, to read where you are going to hit it. You don’t see guys with their back to you. But I practise different variations of through-the-leg shots, so maybe I will try one at Wimbledon.

“It got a good reaction, people enjoy seeing that stuff, like when Roger Federer hits a through-the-legs shot or when Rafa (Nadal) gets to an ­unbelievable ball or when someone does the splits.

“If you can throw in skill shots, because it’s such a power game normally, it’s fun.”

His brother Jamie said: “We used to try all sorts of things playing short tennis but if I did it now, I would probably only hurt myself.”

The brothers were speaking at the launch of Set4Sport, a book written by their mother Judy on games for parents to play with their ­children. Andy added: “As kids we played with everything, even with biscuit tin lids as racquets.”

Set4Sport is a new programme from Judy Murray in association with RBS, showcasing easy ways for parents to play with their children. www.Set4Sport.com