Sir Andy Murray

[Damian]

[Barty]

‘I expect to perform much better at Miami Open’, says Andy Murray

Spoiler:

Andy Murray expects to perform better at next week’s Miami Open than in his previous three tournaments this year.

The former world No. 1 reached the final of the Biella Challenger in his first 2021 event, before falling in the first round in Montpellier the following week.

The 33-year-old Brit then beat Robin Haase to reach the second round in Rotterdam – where he lost to world No. 8 Andrey Rublev.

Andy Murray – currently ranked 118th in the world – won the Miami Open Masters 1000 tournament in 2009 and 2013.

“I except a lot better than what I produced in the three tournaments that I played so far. Certainly more consistency,” said Murray in an interview with Prime Video.

“There were some good signs at the end of the match with Robin Haase, and in the first set against Rublev (in Rotterdam), but I need to do that for an hour and a half, two hours – rather than just 20, 30 minutes here and there.

“Hopefully that will come with matches and also being around the top players more. That was the really good thing in Rotterdam – before the tournament there, I got to practise with Tsitsipas and Borna Coric.

“It is different. It’s a different level, different speed of ball and stuff. I did well in the practices and competed well, but it took me a little bit of time to feel comfortable at that level.

“So, I want to make sure I get on court with as many top players as possible in Miami, and I expect to perform much better on the court. I like the conditions there.

“I haven’t played much outdoors in recent months, so that’s why I’m trying to get out there early – to try and adjust to the conditions a bit.”

https://tennishead.net/i-expect-to-perf ... dy-murray/

[Damian]

In Miami, Murray Returns With Interest

Spoiler:

Former World No. 1 has been at the top of his return game in Miami
You play good where you feel good.

Andy Murray has reached the final of the Miami Open presented by Itau four times, twice walking away with first place silverware. He has been coming to the cosmopolitan city for 15 years to train in the off-season to elevate his fitness in the oppressive Miami heat and humidity. He has not played the tournament since 2016, but has received a wild card this year and is pumped to continue rising up the FedEx ATP Rankings in a city that feels good under his skin.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of Murray’s overall performance in Miami uncovers a player who has completely dominated the returning side of the equation in South Florida.

In Murray’s career, he has won 41.8 per cent (28,964/69,299) of his return points, which currently has him sitting 14th best on the ATP Tour. But when you focus solely on Miami, Murray ascends all the way to first place from 37 matches played, winning almost 45 per cent of his return points.

Andy Murray: Miami Open Return Points Won
All-return points won: No. 1 (44.7%)
First-serve-return points won: No. 1 (36.4%)
Second-serve-return points won: No. 4 (56.1%)

The leading 10 players with the highest percentage of return points won in Miami (Minimum 15 matches) are:

Rank Player Return Points Won %
1 Andy Murray 44.74%
2 Novak Djokovic 44.0%
3 David Ferrer 42.78%
4 David Goffin 42.76%
5 Michael Chang 42.48%
6 Lleyton Hewitt 42.48%
7 Guillermo Coria 42.43%
8 Andre Agassi 42.38%
9 Tim Henman 42.04%
10 Marcelo Rios 41.99%
Murray also sits atop the first-serve return points won list. He is renowned for attacking the serve with a big step and split-step forward, keeping the swing short and rebounding the power of the serve right back at his opponent. Murray sits in fourth place overall in Miami with second-serve return points won.

2013 Miami Open presented by Itau Final
Murray’s prowess returning in the hot and heavy Miami weather make him a formidable opponent to defeat at this event. The last time Murray won the Miami title was in 2013, when he saved a match point and wore down David Ferrer in a gut-wrenching final, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(1). Murray won a staggering 51 per cent (50/98) of his return points in the final, which was identical to the 51 per cent (56/110) of service points he won.

It was one of the most brutal hard-court matches in memory, as Murray achieved the unthinkable in getting Ferrer to cramp in the third-set tie-break. Two-time Miami champion Andy Roddick tweeted post-match “I’ve seen everything now… David Ferrer cramping. I thought they would find Hoffa first.”


Exactly half of the 30 games played featured a break of serve, almost unheard of in a big final. What’s even more peculiar is that Murray won the match being broken eight times to Ferrer’s seven. The final started as a tactical arm-wrestle of court position and return prowess, and morphed into a physical side-to-side battle with constant breaks of serve. In the end, it was all about survival.

Maybe Murray can recapture some of that Miami magic as he looks to reignite his career after hip surgery. Murray played 87 matches in 2016, as he won nine titles and reached No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. In the four-plus years since, the Scot has only played 75 matches. Each one is worth its weight in gold at the moment, as he rebuilds confidence, precision and stamina with his game.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/murray- ... march-2021

[Lucas]

Andy Murray continues his latest comeback at Miami Open after being drawn against Lloyd Harris

Spoiler:

Wild card Andy Murray to play in-form Lloyd Harris in the first round of the Miami Open this week; South African Harris was runner-up at Aslan Karatsev at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships at the weekend

Andy Murray will take on Lloyd Harris at the Miami Open (picture courtesy of hoo-me / MediaPunch/IPX)
Greg Rusedski says “you can never discount great champions” as Andy Murray continues his latest comeback at the Miami Open following more injury problems last year and a bout of coronavirus that ruled him out of the Australian Open.

The former world No 1, who recently celebrated the birth of his fourth child, reached a final at second-tier Challenger level in his first tournament back before falling in the first round of the ATP event in Montpellier and the second round in Rotterdam.

Murray, the champion in Miami in 2009 and 2013, was not at all happy with the level of tennis he produced and still has aspirations of winning the biggest tournaments.

Murray last played at the tournament five years ago (Cal Sport Media via AP Images)

Rusedski said: “Andy is the most competitive guy you’ll ever see in your life. You don’t win three majors and get to number one and everything he’s accomplished without that massive belief and massive drive.

“Miami’s one of his favourite places to play. If he gets a good draw, there’s a real possibility of him having a good run. For me, the question mark is always his movement to his forehand side.

“You can never discount great champions and it would be great to see him playing well again. You shoot for the stars and maybe you get to the moon.”

Murray was awarded a wild card for the tournament in Miami, which begins on 24 March.

He has not competed in Miami since 2016, undergoing hip surgeries in 2018 and 2019.

Lloyd Harris was runner-up at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships (Rhea Nall/USTA via AP)

Harris, 24, had climbed 29 places from No 81 to No 52 in the rankings after reaching his maiden ATP 500 final.

The winner of the match between Murray and Harris will play Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round.

British No 1 Dan Evans received a bye into the second round where he will play the winner of the match between, Frances Tiafoe and Stefano Travaglia, while Cameron Norrie faces Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in the first round, with wildcard Jack Draper up against Mikhail Kukushkin.

In the women’s draw, reigning champion and world No 1 Ashleigh Barty returns to action, with Australian Open champion and world No 2 Naomi Osaka, Simona Halep, Sofia Kenin, and Bianca Andreescu taking part in a strong field for the event.

The top 32 seeds have received a bye, including British No 1 Johanna Konta, but Katie Boulter takes on Kristyna Pliskova and Harriet Dart faces Zhu Lin in the first round.

https://47sportsclub.com/andy-murray-co ... yd-harris/

[Bombardiero]

[Damian]

Murray Withdraws From Miami

Spoiler:

British star has not competed since 3 March

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray has withdrawn from the 2021 Miami Open presented by Itau due to a left groin injury. His place in the draw will be filled by a qualifier or lucky loser.

Murray told the Miami Herald, "I had no issues while training, felt fine, did some gym work Friday, no problem.... Then I woke up about three [o'clock] in the morning, felt pain in the groin, not on the side I had my surgery, and when I got out of bed I struggled quite a bit to walk. I have no idea what I did. It’s one of those freak things. Each day it has gotten progressively better, but it’s not enough. I have not practised since Friday."

The two-time former Miami titlist, who has not played at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament since 2016, last competed on 3 March at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.

The 33-year-old, who has a 28-9 record in Miami, lifted the trophy in 2009 (d. Djokovic) and 2013 (d. Ferrer), when the event was held at the Crandon Park Tennis Center. He also finished as runner-up in 2012 and 2015 (l. to Djokovic both times).

Murray and his wife, Kim, welcomed their fourth child on 12 March.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/murray- ... miami-2021

[Barty]

'JUST GIVE ME A BREAK!' - ANDY MURRAY FRUSTRATED AFTER 'DEMORALISING' INJURY FORCES HIM OUT OF MIAMI

Spoiler:

The frustration continues for Andy Murray after he was forced to withdraw from the Miami Open with a groin injury. Two-time Miami champion Murray was set to play Lloyd Harris in the opening round, but instead will now turn his attentions to the clay season, having notched just one ATP Tour victory this season.

Andy Murray admits it was "gutting and demoralising" to suffer another injury issue that ruled him out of this week's Miami Open.
Murray had travelled to Miami for the ATP Masters 1000 tournament only to withdraw less than 48 hours before his scheduled first-round match against Lloyd Harris due to a groin injury.
It is the latest in a growing line of setbacks for three-time Grand Slam champion Murray, who has only won one ATP Tour match this year and did not play at the Australian Open after testing positive for Covid-19.

"This one again is a tough one just because I don’t know what happened,” he told The Times.
"I was pumped to come and have the opportunity to play here. I felt good and travelled over, practised, had no issues and then this happened. It is obviously very frustrating and a bit demoralising. It’s gutting."
Murray withdraws from Miami due to groin injury
Miami offers a glimpse of life after the 'Big Three'
Murray had spoken about wanting to test himself against the best players in the world and was hopeful of getting more match practice under his belt in Miami.
However, he is now faced with the unwelcome prospect of more rehabilitation.

"I’ll just need to see what the results come back with and then speak with my team and try and come up with a plan," he said.
"I really just want to be on the court competing. I can’t be bothered doing another eight or 10 weeks of rehab.

THE REASON I AM DOING ALL OF THAT STUFF IS TO GET BACK ON THE COURT AND COMPETE. IT’S HARD WORK AND NOW I AM FINDING IT HARDER TO GET MOTIVATED TO DO ALL THE REHAB AND EVERYTHING IF I’M NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO COMPETE IN THE BIGGEST EVENTS. THAT IS WHY THIS ONE WAS LIKE, ‘F***ING HELL, JUST GIVE ME A BREAK FOR THIS ONE EVENT SO THAT I CAN COMPETE AGAINST THESE GUYS AT A BIG TOURNAMENT AND SEE WHAT I AM STILL ABLE TO DO.’

Asked whether this could hint that he can no longer cope with the physical demands of playing top-level tennis, Murray added: “I guess it’s possible that is the case. This is just a random thing that hasn’t happened on the court or in the gym. I know as players get older, you can have issues with back spasms and things like that where you just wake up in the night and something has happened. Maybe it is just something like that.
"I really need to get a run of tournaments and competitive matches to see whether my body is capable of doing it or not because right now I still really haven’t had that opportunity. All of the indications from the gym work and training that I’m doing suggest that I’m fine, but then I keep getting these things.
"I don’t know how deep to look into this one. I guess if it keeps me out for a long time, then that’s something that I would probably think that way. But if it’s only a few days and just the timing of it has meant that I have missed the tournament, then that is just bad luck. That is nothing to do with my physical capabilities."

https://www.eurosport.co.uk/tennis/atp- ... tory.shtml

[Damian]

[Bombardiero]

[DUN I LOVE]

Jeden z bardziej wzruszających momentów ostatnich lat.

[Kamileki]

[Bombardiero]

[Lucas]

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

[Damian]

Murray In Rome, Practises With Djokovic

Spoiler:

The Scot has hit with Djokovic and Schwartzman this week
Andy Murray is not competing in the Internazionali BNL d'Italia this week, but the former World No. 1 is at the Foro Italico to train with the best players in the world.

The 33-year-old has not played a tournament since Rotterdam in early March due to a left groin injury. But he has mixed it up with some of the ATP Tour's biggest stars at the Foro Italico, including World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Diego Schwartzman.


"I haven't seen him in a while, and it was great to hit with him. I thought he played very well on the court," Djokovic said. "He moves well, considering it's clay, which is not the best surface for his hips. But considering what he has been through lately, I think it seems like he's been feeling well on the court. That's what he's saying, and that's what it appears on the court itself.

"We had a nice chat and had a few laughs on the court as well. It was just great. It brought back the old times when we spent a lot of time on the court together, whether it was training or playing against each other."

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/murray- ... -rome-2021

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Bombardiero]

[Damian]

Broady/Murray Leave It Late In Rome Match Tie-break

Spoiler:

Fognini/Musetti knock out two-time former champions
Liam Broady and Andy Murray, who had trained this week with World No. 1 Novak Djokovic at the Foro Italico, won seven straight points from 3/6 down in the Match Tie-break to beat Australians Max Purcell and Luke Saville 5-7, 7-6(5), 10-6 on Wednesday at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia. The Britons next meet eighth seeds Kevin Krawietz and Horia Tecau in the second round.

Italian wild cards Fabio Fognini and #NextGenATP star Lorenzo Musetti caused a big upset when they knocked out top-seeded Colombians and two-time Rome champions Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 7-6(7), 6-4.

Fognini and Musetti saved two set points at 4-5 deciding point deuce and at 5/6 in the first-set tie-break, prior to sealing the win with a fifth break of the Colombians' serve. They will now play Marcelo Arevalo and Matwe Middelkoop, who defeated Britons Daniel Evans and Neal Skupski, this season’s Miami Open presented by Itau and Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters finalists, 6-3, 6-2.

How To Watch

Second-seeded Croatians Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic improved to a 33-4 record on the season — including two ATP Masters 1000 crowns — after a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Alexander Bublik and Cristian Garin. They now face Marcus Daniell and Philipp Oswald in the second round.

Third seeds Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek had four match points at 5-4 in the second set, but had to wait for their win in a hard-fought 7-6(5), 5-7, 10-7 win over Alex de Minaur and Jan-Lennard Struff. The Croatian/Slovak team next meet John Peers and Michael Venus.

Elsewhere, defending champions and fourth seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos began their quest for a fourth Masters 1000 crown with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Argentines Andres Molteni and Diego Schwartzman. Three days ago, Granollers and Zeballos beat Mektic and Pavic in the Mutua Madrid Open final. They will now prepare to face Franko Skugor and Lukasz Kubot.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/fognini ... -wednesday