Sir Andy Murray

[Damian]

Murray Handed Tough Start To Montpellier Debut

Spoiler:

Bautista Agut, Goffin occupy top seeding positions at ATP 250

In his first ATP Tour event in four months, Andy Murray has landed in a packed section of the Open Sud de France draw in Montpellier.

Making his first tour-level appearance since last October’s bett1HULKS Indoors in Cologne, the former World No. 1 will open his campaign against Belarusian Egor Gerasimov. Murray will aim to build on a strong start to his 2021 season in Montpellier, following his run to the Biella Challenger Indoor 1 final last week (l. to Marchenko).

View Singles Draw

The British wild card will compete in the third quarter of the ATP 250 draw, which features the only two players competing in Montpellier to have already lifted an ATP Tour title this year. Murray could meet Great Ocean Road Open champion Jannik Sinner in the second round, with Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com champion Hubert Hurkacz a potential quarter-final opponent.

Sinner, who fell in five sets to Denis Shapovalov in the Australian Open first round, is competing indoors for the first time since his maiden ATP Tour title run at the Sofia Open last November. The #NextGenATP Italian will meet Aljaz Bedene in his first match.

In the final quarter of the draw, second seed and two-time Montpellier semi-finalist David Goffin could face 2018 champion Lucas Pouille in his first match. Pouille will face countryman Benjamin Bonzi in the first round. Pouille is not the only past champion in this section. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the 2019 titlist, will meet #NextGenATP American Sebastian Korda in one of the picks of the first-round matches.

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In the top half of the draw, Roberto Bautista Agut and Dusan Lajovic lead the way. In his first Montpellier appearance since his tournament debut in 2012, Bautista Agut will open his title bid against Nikoloz Basilashvili or a qualifier. The Spaniard is joined in the top quarter of the draw by sixth seed Ugo Humbert, who captured two ATP Tour titles on hard courts in 2020.

Third seed Lajovic will meet Dennis Novak or home favourite Gilles Simon in his opening match. The Serbian shares the second quarter with eighth seed Jan-Lennard Struff, who will begin his third appearance in Montpellier against a qualifier.

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[Kamileki]

Murray Makes Montpellier Debut: Murray will compete in his first ATP Tour event since October after being awarded a wild card into Montpellier. The Brit kicked off his season last week at the Biella Challenger Indoor 1, where he reached his first final at any level since 2019. Murray will take on Egor Gerasimov in his opening match, and he could meet Jannik Sinner in the second round. The former World No. 1 will try to win his third tour-level title in France.

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[Damian]

[Damian]

Murray: 'If I Was Getting Smoked, I Wouldn't Keep Going'

Spoiler:

Murray will begin his Montpellier run against Gerasimov
Andy Murray told media on Monday before beginning his debut at the Open Sud de France that he barely paid attention to the Australian Open. The former World No. 1's reasoning might be a surprise, though.

“I didn’t watch any because I wanted to be there myself and it was a struggle to be honest. Stopped following all the tennis players I follow on social media because I just really didn’t want to see it,” Murray said. “I saw little bits and pieces of highlights, but didn’t watch any [more].”

Murray, who typically watches a lot of tennis, tested positive for COVID-19 before his scheduled flight to Australia, and was therefore unable to travel to Melbourne and compete in the season’s first Grand Slam. The three-time major winner tested negative in time to play the Biella Challenger in Italy, where he reached the final.

“It was good to get the five matches. I found it tricky conditions to play there to be honest. In terms of the level of tennis, it was at times okay,” Murray said. “It was good to get the matches and not feel pain.”

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The World No. 121 is still working his way back to form after undergoing right hip surgery following the 2019 Australian Open. Later that year, Murray won an ATP Tour title at the European Open in Antwerp.

“I’ve played in practice with lots of top players and I know how I’m getting on against them. If I was getting smoked when I was practising and playing with guys, I wouldn’t keep going through it,” Murray said. “But I know the level that I’m playing at.

“I’ve been playing and practising with guys who are between 20 and 60, 70 in the world and I’m doing absolutely fine and that’s off the back of hardly playing any matches in the past couple of years.”

This week in Montpellier, Murray will compete in his fifth tour-level event since the start of 2020. He opens his campaign against Belarusian Egor Gerasimov.

“If I can stay fit for a period of time and get good practise in and matches in, I don’t see why I shouldn’t be able to compete with the best players. Obviously playing your Rafas, Novaks, Rogers, Medvedev, Thiem, these guys is difficult,” Murray said. “Of course it would be, that would have been the case when I was ranked right up at the top of the game. But I still feel like I can compete for big events. I wish I was able to show that in Australia, because I was ready to do that. No question, I was ready to do that.”

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/andy ... view'>Andy Murray</a>
Photo Credit: J.B. Autissier - Panoramic;
Murray believes he will be competitive on hard courts and clay courts, but he isn’t sure about clay, mostly because he has only played one tournament on the surface since 2017 Roland Garros. The Scot emphasised that his health will be key.

“I need to stay fit. If I don’t stay fit, then no, I’m not going to get back to where I want to. But if I could stay fit for a period of time, then yeah,” Murray said. “It’s difficult just now moving up the rankings because of the two-year rankings… in terms of performance on the court, we’ll see. Let’s see whether I can compete with them. I’m doing it each week now. I’m going to get the chance to compete against them, so let’s see. People keep asking me about it, let’s see what happens.”

The 33-year-old has been asked often about what level he can return to. Even he isn’t sure.

“What matters is when I’m on the court,” Murray said. “Can I still do it? We’ll find out.”

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[Damian]

Murray: 'I'm Pumped To Be Competing Again'

Spoiler:

Former World No. 1 lifted the Rotterdam trophy in 2009
The last time Andy Murray competed at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, he was firmly entrenched in the top five of the FedEx ATP Rankings and fighting for titles weekly. Now World No. 121 and continuing his comeback from 2019 hip surgery, Murray is simply happy to be battling on the court.

“I’m pumped to be back competing again. Physically I feel good, which is the most important thing,” Murray said. “Obviously the next most important thing for me is to get matches and to get back to winning again on Tour.”

Murray began his season in February at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Biella, Italy. The Scot was unable to travel to Australia in January because he tested positive for COVID-19. Luckily for Murray, it has been tougher to recover mentally than physically.

“I’d say [it was] more mental to be honest than physical. It obviously affects your tennis a little bit because it came on the end of a long training block,” Murray said. “I’d trained really hard for 10 weeks and was feeling really good and then I wasn’t allowed to do anything. I wasn’t allowed out of the house… that obviously affects the physical side, but also the mental side as well.”


After his long training block, Murray was excited to compete in Australia and test his level. The 33-year-old was confident in how he felt on the court. But not being able to prove it after putting in the hard work was a letdown.

“I’ve missed quite a lot of big tournaments in recent years with injury and stuff and then that happened and I was really, really disappointed,” Murray said. “[It’s] still something that I’m probably getting over a bit from the disappointment and the mental side of things, but physically I feel good.”

Murray will begin his Rotterdam run against a familiar foe in Dutch veteran Robin Haase, whom he leads 4-1 in their ATP Head2Head series. Their first meeting, which Haase won, came in Rotterdam 13 years ago. But Murray isn’t putting much stock in that.

“It was 12 years ago when I won here and 13 years ago since I played Robin, so that to me doesn’t have any baring nowadays on the match-up or how you will perform in the tournament or anything,” Murray said. “A lot has changed since then.”

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One thing that has not changed is that Murray enjoys playing at the Rotterdam Ahoy, home of this week’s ATP 500 event.

“I like it a lot here. They’ve changed the whole setup. It’s a shame that the fans aren’t here, but I think they’ve done a great job with the centre court. They’ve made a real effort to try and create an atmosphere, which is difficult just now without the fans,” Murray said. “I think considering the circumstances they’ve done a really nice job for the players and big thanks to everyone involved.”

Murray isn’t overthinking his goals for the year and what results he wants to earn. The former World No. 1 is focussing all his energy on each match and hoping that making steady progress will pay off.

“I want to try and get matches, but I need to just focus on the first one and try and get through that,” Murray said. “I’ve played Robin a few times on Tour, we know each other pretty well. We’ve had some tough matches in big tournaments and he’s a talented guy with a big game. My focus is on that and trying to take each day as it comes just now.

“When you haven’t played loads, you go into these matches and it’s not the same as it was four, five years ago when you were playing five, six matches a week and you were used to that. I haven’t played much and need to build my confidence and get some wins back.”

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[Damian]

Murray Surges Past Haase In Rotterdam Comeback

Spoiler:

2009 Rotterdam champ awaits Rublev or Giron in second round
Former World No. 1 Andy Murray had to rally from 0-3 in the third set to take down fellow wild card Robin Haase 2-6, 7-6(2), 6-3 on Monday at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament.

Currently No. 123 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Murray outlasted Haase after two hours and 29 minutes as the match became a physical battle. He struck 33 winners including six aces en route to his first tour-level victory since the 2020 US Open.

Haase gave Murray plenty of trouble with several highlight-reel worthy shots in the pair’s entertaining battle. Murray, who has been working his way back to fitness after a major hip injury, was contesting his second tour-level match of the year.

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The Scot needed a few games to settle into the match, but Haase didn’t give him any respite as he got off to a double-break 4-1 lead in the first set. In the second, Haase had two chances to take the lead at 3-3 before Murray lifted his level, saving both break points on the back of strong first serves.

Murray took the second set after a tie-break, but found himself in trouble again in the third as Haase opened up a 3-0 lead with an early break. Murray continued to hang in the rallies and managed his emotions to stay in the contest, going on a six-game run to seal his spot in the second round.

How To Watch

The victory improves Murray’s ATP Head2Head record against Haase to 5-1. Interestingly, Haase’s only win over Murray came in Rotterdam when the pair contested their first ATP Tour meeting here in 2008.

Murray will face either No. 4 seed Andrey Rublev or American qualifier Marcos Giron in the second round.

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[Kamileki]

[Damian]

Murray: ‘I Feel Like I’m Playing For My Career’

Spoiler:

The former World No. 1 will face fourth seed Rublev or Giron next
Andy Murray had to scratch and claw for two-and-a-half hours on Monday evening in Rotterdam to rally past Robin Haase into the second round of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament. The former World No. 1 is not afraid of admitting that the path back to his best tennis is not proving a simple one two years on from his most recent hip surgery.

“It’s hard, it’s not easy. I’ve played some really good stuff in practice. I’ve been extremely competitive in all of the practices that I’ve had with top players,” Murray said. “It’s been a bit of a struggle actually since I had the break with coronavirus. Just haven’t played well to be honest with you, and it’s not easy. Every time I lose a match, I’m getting told to retire, that I should stop playing, that I’m finished and I’ve got nothing left and it’s sad and all of these things.

“I feel like I’m playing for my career just now each time I step on the court, which is a motivation in some ways, but it also adds a bit of extra stress. There’s a bit of extra doubt there. On top of that, I’m playing with a metal hip, which is hard. Trust me, it’s not easy. It’s a big challenge for me just now and one that I’ll meet head on, but it’s not easy and the past few months have been a bit of a struggle.”

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The 33-year-old has enjoyed success during his comeback. In October 2019, he won an ATP Tour title at the European Open. Players the Scot has defeated include Alexander Zverev, Matteo Berrettini and Stan Wawrinka. Because of that, Murray doesn’t pay close attention to those who question his current level.

“These are top players that I was playing against and competing well against and physically now I’m in a better place than I was then… Why should I stop? Because I lost a match last week against someone that people would expect me to win against?” Murray said, referencing his loss against Egor Gerasimov last week in Montpellier. “The guy’s a good player… everyone out there can play. I’m not on the top of my game just now, [but] once I get there I believe I’ll win matches more competitively.

“But why? Why should I stop? Tell me a good reason for why I should stop playing. I could still compete with the best players in the world with one hip, so I think that’s quite amusing, really.”

How To Watch

To Murray, it’s not a question of whether he is capable of beating the elite players on the ATP Tour. The World No. 123 doesn’t feel he has to prove his level because of those victories he has earned.

“I need to do it consistently and I need to physically stay fit for a period of time. That’s what I need to do,” Murray said. “My skill hasn’t changed. You can ask the guys that I’m practising with, unless all of them are just holding back against me in practice and feel sorry for me.”

Murray admitted that after testing positive for COVID-19 and self-isolating in January, it took some time for him to find his footing again during training. But the 46-time tour-level titlist is keen to show the level he has found on the practice court in recent weeks.

“Tonight’s match, that could help a lot. Things could turn around quickly getting through that,” Murray said. “Obviously you lose the match it’s again like, 'What’s he doing out here?' I could have lost that match 6-2, 6-4 and been getting crushed. To get through it is a good effort.”

The former World No. 1 will next play red-hot Russian Andrey Rublev or American qualifier Marcos Giron, who has also had hip surgeries.

“Let’s see what happens the rest of this week and over the next few months. Hopefully I’ll start to play better tennis,” Murray said. “If physically I was struggling I would be really disappointed and flat about it, but my tennis will get better.”

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[Damian]

Murray On Rublev: 'He’ll Be At The Top Of The Game For A Long Time'

Spoiler:

ual. Murray and Rublev have only clashed once before, and the Scot believes the 23-year-old is a player to watch.

“He’ll be around at the top of the game for a long time because he’s got a great work ethic,” Murray said. “And he’s a very good player.”


Their previous ATP Head2Head meeting came in the second round of the 2017 Australian Open. Murray was the top seed, and Rublev was a 19-year-old qualifier competing in his first main draw at Melbourne Park. At the time, the Russian was No. 152 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

“I played him when he was very young at the Australian Open… he went for it. He hit the ball big back then,” Murray said. “He physically was not that strong then, but I think he’s worked really hard on that side of things.”

Rublev’s memory of the match is that Murray, “almost beat me 6-0, 6-0, 6-0”. The 2020 Nitto ATP Finals competitor actually won five games that day. But while Rublev is now the favourite, ranked World No. 8, he still holds the Scot in the highest regard.

“Andy is a true legend and I have a really good connection with him,” Rublev said. “I really like him as a person and as a player. He destroyed me once in the past. I’m sure we’ll have great, long rallies and it will be a fight.”


Murray hasn’t played Rublev in a match in more than four years. But the World No. 123, who remains on the comeback trail from 2019 hip surgery, has seen the Russian’s progress up close.

“He’s always practising. I’ve practised with him a few times and from the first ball, he doesn’t sort of warm into it,” Murray said. “He just goes full power from the beginning of the practice and that’s how he plays matches and that’s what’s gotten him lots and lots of success.”

Rublev led the ATP Tour with five titles last season, and he maintained that momentum to start 2021. The red-hot Russian helped lead his country to the ATP Cup title and he reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, where he fell short against countryman Daniil Medvedev, who is the top seed in Medvedev.

What does Murray believe Rublev needs to do to continue his climb?

“I think that the next step for him to winning or going deeper in majors is probably just learning to tone it down at times maybe in matches,” Murray said. “But it’s difficult when you’ve played a certain way, which has gotten you to the top of the game and into the Top 10 of the world at a young age.”

While both men are in very different spots compared to where they were at the 2017 Australian Open, they are both looking forward to a difficult battle at the Rotterdam Ahoy.

“It’s going to be fun,” Rublev said. “It’s going to be an interesting match.”

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[Kamileki]

[Damian]

Murray: ‘I Learn A Lot From A Match Like Tonight’

Spoiler:

Brit reflects on straight-sets loss to Rublev
After his 7-5, 6-2 loss to Andrey Rublev at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, Andy Murray discussed the lessons he can learn from playing one of the best players on the ATP Tour as he continues his recovery from hip and pelvic injuries.

The 2009 champion, who claimed his first tour-level victory of the year in the first round against Robin Haase, went toe-to-toe with the World No. 8 before the Russian claimed a crucial break at 5-5 and charged to victory. The former World No. 1 expressed his belief that playing matches like these — against the elite players on the ATP Tour — will help him in his bid to improve his level and achieve great success at future tournaments.

“I want to be playing at this level because I learn a lot from a match like tonight,” said Murray. “The issues and the mistakes that you make get amplified more at this level… It is getting that balance right between getting enough matches and then also playing at a level where I am able to learn and pick things up as quickly as possible. I do feel tonight there were some good, positive signs there. Just when it mattered, I wasn’t good enough. I will need to improve.”

The key moment of the match came at 5-5, when Murray dropped his serve from 30/0. Rublev pushed the three-time Grand Slam champion behind the baseline with aggressive forehands and capitalised on two double faults to claim the first break of the match.

Murray was unable to convert two break points in the following game and Rublev raised his level in the second set. The 46-time tour-level titlist admitted that the frustration he felt from his missed opportunities late in the first set may have carried into the second set.

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“I lost my serve from 30/0. I hit two double faults and a bad forehand. To me, that is just not good enough,” said Murray. “When you are playing one of the best players in the world in those moments, if they come up with something great to win those points you come off [the court] and say it is understandable. I felt in that moment at the end of the first set that I blew it a bit. I had 15/40 in the next game to break back and I think I messed up a little bit there as well.

“In the second [set], he was much better than me. No question about that. I think at the end of the first set, I messed up… I am not used to making those errors in those moments and I am finding that quite frustrating and I am finding myself mentally looking back on those moments a little bit too much, which maybe affected me a bit in the second set. There were some good things in there and I am disappointed because I messed the end of the first set up. I probably should have won the first set.”

Despite his disappointment, Murray took time to find positives in his performance. For almost an hour, the 33-year-old held his own from the baseline against a player who has won 17 consecutive matches at ATP 500 events.

“I thought I moved well for the first hour or so,” said Murray. “He is one of the bigger hitters on the Tour and, in the first set, I didn’t feel like he was getting too many free points from the back of the court. He was having to work hard to get the ball through me. I thought that was positive.”

Murray is not the only high-profile star attempting to rediscover his form after surgery. The Brit shared his thoughts on long-time rival Roger Federer’s upcoming return to the ATP Tour at next week’s Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha. Federer will be making his first appearance since the 2020 Australian Open. Since that event, the 20-time Grand Slam champion has undergone two surgeries on his right knee.

“I just want to get out and compete and just enjoy doing what I am doing. I imagine Roger would be the same,” said Murray. “I am sure he has been training hard and is excited to get back out there and compete. I am sure in time, providing that his body is good, that he will play top-level tennis again because he is that good. Even if there is a slight drop-off physically for him, I would back his skill against most players. I am sure he will be fine."

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[Damian]

[Damian]

Andy & Kim Murray Welcome Fourth Child

Spoiler:

British star played last week in Rotterdam
Former World No. 1 Andy Murray and his wife, Kim, have welcomed the birth of their fourth child.

The couple, who have been married for six years, already have two daughters, five-year-old Sophia and three-year-old Edie, and a one-year-old son Teddy.

The 33-year-old British star has competed at three tournaments this year, including a runner-up finish last month at the Biella Challenger Indoor 1 on the ATP Challenger Tour.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/andy-ki ... urth-child

[DUN I LOVE]

Zdrówka.

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

Murray Awarded Miami Wild Card

Spoiler:

British star won the 2009 and 2013 Miami titles
Former World No. 1 Andy Murray has been awarded a wild card for the 2021 Miami Open presented by Itau, which begins on 24 March.

The two-time former Miami titlist told People Magazine, "It's a city I love, and I've spent a lot of time here over the last 15 years, I feel comfortable. But over the next few months, I want to play matches — especially against the top players — work on my game and climb the rankings. I want to get back playing a sport I love."

Carlos Alcaraz, Michael Mmoh, Hugo Gaston and Jack Draper have also received wild cards into the ATP Masters 1000 tournament.


British star Murray has not competed in Miami since 2016, undergoing hip surgeries in 2018 and 2019.

Murray also told People Magazine, "The last few years has been really hard. After the operation, there were no guarantees I would play again, but I've been working very hard on my conditioning and over the last few months I've felt the best I have for years. I'll need to be mindful of my schedule moving forward but I'm excited to be back competing — with a metal hip."

Murray and his wife, Kim, welcomed their fourth child on Friday last week. The 33-year-old last played on the ATP Tour at last month's ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.

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[Kamileki]

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Damian]