Andy Murray insisted today that his mother is wrong and that he can do well at both the Olympic Games and the US Open which begins the day after the end of China's sporting extravaganza.

Judy Murray had suggested that anyone who goes deep into the Olympic competition could struggle at Flushing Meadows, but her son said: "I think she's wrong. It makes it harder if you do well, but between now and the final of the US Open there are three weeks. You are going to have at least two weeks off because you only play every other day at the [grand] slams, so if you do all the right things in between then you can do well."

Murray, who faces Taipei's Yen-Hsun Lu in the first round of the singles, is in rude health after winning his first Masters Series title in Cincinnati. Critics of the Olympic tennis claim that the sport has no place at the Games because it is not the ultimate ambition. However, Murray, who will also play doubles with his brother, Jamie, is risking a rigourous schedule to take part. "I will definitely have to play twice on the same day if I want to do well. That makes it harder too, but it's a great opportunity for me to play doubles with my brother."

If Murray were to make two finals here he would have to play 11 matches in the well-documented humid conditions, but he believes he is in good enough shape to cope. "Cincinnati was hotter, but the humidity is worse here," he said. "But I work hard. I practice a lot in Miami which is very hot. If you stay and practice indoors in cold conditions then it will be hard to adjust."

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That Murray might well have to beat Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer to win the Olympic title evinces the quality of the field and thumbs a nose at the naysayers. "Look at the field that's here," Murray, who has risen to a career-high world ranking of six after Cincinnati, said. "If the top six or seven players weren't competing then you could say it's obviously not important, but the gold medal is huge. Federer is one of the greatest players of all time and is obviously desperate to win the gold. If it wasn't a big deal then the top guys wouldn't be here. It's obviously important to us."

Unlike Federer, the Murrays have decided to stay in the Olympic village with the majority of the other athletes. They are even sharing an apartment, although Jamie said: "We've got different rooms - I don't think I could handle sharing with him." His brother added: "It's completely different to anything I'm used to. When you go to the dining hall it's like being back at a massive school - there are so many people there."

Both Murrays joined the Great Britain team at the opening ceremony yesterday. "You want to get involved with the other athletes," Andy said. "The ceremony, walking out with the greatest athletes in the world, is one of the best occasions you can have." He also professed a desire to watch the swimming and boxing events.