Andy Murray, fresh from moving to second in the world rankings, is adamant he will be fighting fit when he takes to the court at the Cincinnati Masters on Tuesday to begin the defence of his title.

After lifting his fourth Masters crown at the Rogers Cup in Montreal last Sunday, there were suggestions the Scot would take two weeks off to rest ahead of the US Open, which starts on August 31.

But Murray insists he was fully focused on the job in hand in Cincinnati, starting with a tricky second-round tie against world number 33 Nicolas Almagro of Spain.

“I’m still a little stiff right now,” admitted Murray, who came through a draining three-set victory over Juan Martin Del Potro in the Montreal final.

“It was an intense match to play in. Montreal was my first hard court tournament for so long and the surface is the most brutal on your body.

“But I fully intend on defending my title in Cincinnati. The US Open isn’t for another two weeks, so I’ll think about that after I’ve finished here.”