British number one Andy Murray has revealed that he received some advice from former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson after securing a quarter-final place at Wimbledon yesterday.

The two Scotsmen have formed a friendship over the years, and Ferguson, who retired from management last summer, was spotted in the crowd watching Murray's straight-sets win over Kevin Anderson yesterday.

"I chatted to him for a few minutes after the match," the Manchester Evening News quotes Murray as saying. "Not for long, but just immediately when I came off the court. We stay in contact throughout the year.

"We chat about a lot of things. We talked about my match, spoke about football, the World Cup a little bit.

"Then he just said a few things, what he's observed when he's been watching me, not necessarily about technical or tactical things, but more mental things, how you respond to tough or tight situations. Obviously you're going to listen to someone like him."

Murray will take on Grigor Dimitrov in the final eight.