Andy Murray Archives

Murray beaten in three sets by De Minaur in Beijing

September 28, 2023

Andy Murray was beaten in three sets by Alex De Minaur in the first round of the China Open in Beijing.

A 2 hour, 53 minute back-and-fourth encounter eventually went the way of the Australian 6-3 5-7 7-6(6), despite Murray battling back from a set down and having three match points in the final set.

De Minaur wrapped up the first set in only 35 minutes, holding on his opening serve before breaking Murray at the fourth attempt in a topsy-turvy second game.

The Australian impressively held to love and moved 3-0 ahead and did not face a single break point to draw first blood and prevail 6-3.

The second set was much more closely contested, as the former world No. 1 took the first game and looked much stronger on his serve.

He did not give De Minaur a look in, as the first five games all went with serve before Murray broke the world No. 12 for the first time to move 4-2 ahead.

However, the 24-year-old showed his class and broke back immediately and claimed a successful hold to wipe out Murray’s second-set lead with another love hold.

The following three games all went by way of serve, before the Scot showed the resilience he has displayed time and time again in his career to break the De Minaur serve and take the second set 7-5.

A nervous start to the decider saw Murray save break point on his opening service game but the three-time Grand Slam winner was able to break in a lengthy fourth game to go 3-1 up.

At 5-2 Murray saw two match points come and go on De Minaur’s serve and a sloppy service game immediately afterwards opened the door for the Australian to bring the set back on serve.

Murray was able to stop the rot to edge 6-5 ahead but a love hold sent the match to a tie-break.

De Minaur secured the first mini-break to open up a gap and but Murray again refused to surrender setting up another match point.

The Brit was unable to convert yet again, however, and allowed his frustrations to get the batter of him as De Minaur finally saw out the win.

He now faces Tommy Paul or Daniil Medvedev in round two.

Murray stunned by Karatsev at Zhuhai Championships

September 23, 2023

Andy Murray suffered a surprise second-round defeat to Aslan Karatsev at the Zhuhai Championships.

The Scot was beaten 4-6 6-3 6-2 by the Russian and dashed hopes of an all-British quarter-final clash with Cameron Norrie.

Murray drew first blood in the match after winning an eventful first set after 72 minutes of play.

It initially looked like it would be plain sailing for the former world No.1, who raced into a 5-2 lead after breaking his opponent’s serve twice.

There was an admirable response from the world No. 63, who broke back on the Murray serve before forcing his rival to serve out the set.

The Scot was rattled and staved off two break points in the 10th game before eventually prevailing on his third set point.

However, momentum was firmly with Karatsev at that point as he broke Murray twice early in the second set.

The 30-year-old appeared to be in cruise control after moving 4-1 ahead, and although the three-time Grand Slam winner broke back, the match was soon level.

The third set was won in even more dominant fashion by the 2021 Australian Open semi-finalist, who moved into a 4-0 lead after breaking the Murray serve twice.

The remaining four games all went the way of serve as Karatsev secured victory on his second match point.

Karatsev’s win means he has now emerged victorious in both meetings with Murray after previously overcoming the Scot in last year’s Sydney Classic final.

Stream and watch the 2023 Laver Cup exclusively live across Europe on Eurosport and discovery+

‘It’s been up and down’ – Murray admits frustration but targets strong end to 2023

September 21, 2023

Andy Murray has admitted that he would have liked his “up and down” year on the court to have gone better, but found reasons to be optimistic as he targets a strong end to the season.

Murray is hoping he can put together a strong end to 2023, a year that he admitted he wished had “gone better”.

The former world No. 1 has endured a long and frustrating road to recovery in recent years after undergoing a hip resurfacing operation in 2019.

The Scotsman almost retired from tennis that year, with nobody expecting him to be playing in Grand Slams four years later.

Murray achieved impressive back-to-back five-set wins at the Australian Open in January, although he could not make it beyond the third round.

Defeats in the second rounds of Wimbledon and the US Open mean the three-time Grand Slam champion has not progressed beyond the third round of his last 12 majors, stretching back to 2017.

The world No. 41 was candid about his frustration, but also his belief that he is moving in the right direction.

“Look, I would like the year to have gone better, for sure,” Murray said. “There have been some good moments, but also some tough losses as well. It’s been up and down.

“I got up to my highest ranking a few weeks ago since I had the hip operation so that’s positive and shows that although it’s not as fast a trajectory as I would have liked, I’m still going in the right direction.”

Starting with Zhuhai, Murray is hoping that he can finish the year on a high.

“I’ve got an opportunity with these last five or six tournaments at the end of the year to have a strong finish, so that’s what I’m hoping for here,” he said.

“I really enjoyed my last visit to Zhuhai. It’s a beautiful city and a great city with great fans. It’s great to be playing tennis in China again and I am really looking forward to coming back to play at the Hengqin International Tennis Centre.”

Murray headed over to China after representing Great Britain in the group stage of the Davis Cup in Manchester last week.

In the second round in Zhuhai he will face world No. 63 Aslan Karatsev.

Stream and watch the 2023 Laver Cup exclusively live across Europe on Eurosport and discovery+.

Murray makes winning return to China, moves closer to Norrie clash

September 21, 2023

Andy Murray made a winning return to China as he beat wildcard Ye Cong Mo in the first round of the Zhuhai Championships.

The ATP Tour has returned to China after four years away and Murray was in action less than a week after being in Manchester to help Great Britain qualify for the Davis Cup finals.

He was given a good test at times by world No. 668 Ye, but came through 7-5 6-3.

Murray will next face Aslan Karatsev, who beat Matteo Arnaldi 6-7(5) 7-6(5) 6-2.

Karatsev beat Murray in their only previous career meeting in the final of the Sydney Classic in 2022.

If Murray wins he could face fellow Brit Cameron Norrie, who meets qualifier Marc Polmans in his first match.

The three-time Grand Slam winner did not find it easy going against Ye in the first set.

After missing a chance to break in the second game, Murray was then pushed in his next two service games.

The former world No. 1 didn’t create any more chances to break until the last game of the set when he broke to love.

Murray was under pressure at the start of the second set, recovering from 0-40 down to hold serve.

He also fended off another break point at 1-1 before breaking to love in the next game.

That break seemed to lift Murray as he then fired down three successive love holds to clinch the win.

Stream and watch the 2023 Laver Cup exclusively live across Europe on Eurosport and discovery+

GB to face Djokovic’s Serbia in Davis Cup quarter-finals

September 19, 2023

Great Britain will meet Novak Djokovic’s Serbia in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Davis Cup.

The two nations were paired together in the last eight after both qualifying from last week’s group stage.

World No. 1 Djokovic is set to lead Serbia in the finals, while Andy Murray could again be part of the Great Britain team, raising the prospect of a 37th career meeting between the once great rivals.

The finals will take place between November 21-26 in Malaga, Spain.

The tie went down to the last rubber, with Dan Evans and Neal Skupski saving four match points before claiming victory.

Djokovic helped Serbia qualify from their group, beating Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in singles just a few days after winning his 24th Grand Slam title at the US Open.

The winner of the quarter-final will play either Netherlands or Italy in the semi-finals.

Canada, Czech Republic, Finland or Australia would then await in the final.

What’s the Davis Cup finals schedule?

The Davis Cup finals will be played from November 21-26 in Malaga, Spain.

The exact schedule is yet to be confirmed, but the draw has been confirmed.

Davis Cup finals draw

Quarter-finals

Canada v Finland
Czech Republic v Australia
Italy v Netherlands
Serbia v Great Britain

Semi-finals

Canada or Finland v Czech Republic or Australia
Italy or Netherlands v Serbia or Great Britain

To be played on November 26

What’s the Davis Cup finals format?

Each tie at the finals will be best-of-three rubbers: two singles and one doubles.

The matches will all be best-of-three sets.

Who will play for Great Britain in Davis Cup finals?

Great Britain could name the same team who qualified top of their group in Manchester.

They have excellent singles depth with three top-50 players – Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans, Andy Murray – as well as 21-year-old Jack Draper, who impressed with a run to the last 16 at the US Open.

Doubles world No. 3 Neal Skupski is likely to be called up again, while Joe Salisbury might also be in contention.

Salisbury won the men’s doubles title at the US Open but wasn’t part of the squad in Manchester.

When did Great Britain last win the Davis Cup?

Great Britain’s last Davis Cup victory was in 2015.

Andy Murray played a key role in that win but might not be such an integral part of the team this time around.

He only played one match in the group stage in Manchester and it was Dan Evans who inspired Great Britain to victory, winning in singles and doubles against France.

“We’ve got a chance against anybody. It’s really tight, matches can go either way. Every single tie we’ve had here could have gone either way.”

When did Murray and Djokovic last meet?

Murray v Djokovic was once a rivalry that would regularly thrill in the finals of the biggest tournaments on tour.

But the pair have not faced each other since 2017.

They were due to meet in Madrid last year but Murray pulled out of the match due to illness.

They have practised together since, including at Wimbledon this year, but the Davis Cup finals could be their next chance to face off.

Their last seven career meetings were all in finals, most recently the 2017 Qatar Open final (won by Djokovic), the final of the 2016 ATP Finals (won by Murray), the 2016 French Open final (won by Djokovic), and the 2016 Italian Open final (won by Murray).

Stream and watch the 2023 Laver Cup exclusively live across Europe on Eurosport and discovery+

Murray beats Riedi at Davis Cup on day of grandmother’s funeral – ‘That one’s for you’

September 15, 2023

Andy Murray of Great Britain plays a backhand against Leandro Riedi of Switzerland during the Great Britain v Switzerland Match 1 on day 4 of the 2023 Davis Cup Finals Group Stage Manchester at the AO Arena on September 15, 2023 in Manchester, England.

Image credit: Getty Images

Murray beats Riedi at Davis Cup on day of grandmother’s funeral – ‘That one’s for you’

September 15, 2023

Image credit: Getty Images

Andy Murray sets Novak Djokovic challenge to Carlos Alcaraz, rest of ATP Tour

September 12, 2023

Andy Murray expects Novak Djokovic’s dominance to only continue.

Djokovic won his 24th Grand Slam title following a straight-set win over Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final this past weekend. He equaled Margaret Court’s record of 24 all-time major wins and is now just one Grand Slam win away from becoming the all-time leader for both men and women.

Given that he reached the final of every Grand Slam this year, it’s hard to see him not do just that and continue to play for a couple of years more despite being 36 years of age.

For Murray, it’s up to the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and the rest of the ATP Tour to stop Djokovic from continuing to dominate the sport.

“It’s up to the young guys to be pushing Novak and looking to overtake him. It doesn’t look like that’s close to happening,” Murray told the BBC. “Novak’s been an incredible player for a very long time, like Roger [Federer] and Rafa [Nadal], it’s the longevity and how long they’ve all been able to do that for.

“Novak’s longevity has been the greatest. He’s played at this level for such a long time now.”

Djokovic may have completed a first calendar slam since Rod Laver back in 1969 if not for Alcaraz who defeated him in the Wimbledon final earlier this summer. Following that result, many were quick to label it a changing of the guard.

But with the Serbian legend going on to not only defeat Alcaraz in the Cincinnati Open final last month, but win a fourth US Open crown, all that talk was premature to say the least.

“Everyone was saying it was a changing of the guard [after Wimbledon], but it wasn’t for me,” Murray added. “It was quite clear Novak had won two of the first three Slams and was very, very close in the final of Wimbledon.

“He proved that he’s the best player in the world again yesterday and like I said it’s up to the youngsters to improve enough to take him.”

While Murray expects Djokovic to further increase his Grand Slam tally, he also believes such dominance isn’t completely guaranteed either due to a number of factors.

One of those factors could be the continued development of Alcaraz who has remarkably already won two Grand Slam titles at the age of just 20. He’s not at the consistent level of Djokovic just yet, but Murray believes he’ll get there eventually.

“I don’t think he’s [Djokovic] going to stop at 24 titles, but you never know how long it will last,” Murray explained. “Physically, motivation, whether someone like Alcaraz improves – he’s an amazing player Alcaraz, he’s brilliant, but to do what Novak is doing on a consistent basis is different.

“It’s not the same as doing it for 15-20 weeks a year like Novak is doing, every time he steps on the court. I do think that Alcaraz will soon get to that level but I don’t think this is going to be the last time that Novak wins a Grand Slam.”

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‘I don’t think he’s going to stop’ – Murray backs Djokovic dominance to continue

September 11, 2023

Andy Murray does not see Novak Djokovic’s dominance ending anytime soon after his US Open win and thinks the next generation still have some catching up to do.

That might not be music to the ears of some of the younger players who also have their sights on winning Grand Slam titles.

“It’s up to the young guys to be pushing Novak and looking to overtake him. It doesn’t look like that’s close to happening,” three-time major winner Murray told the BBC.

“Novak’s been an incredible player for a very long time, like Roger [Federer] and Rafa [Nadal], it’s the longevity and how long they’ve all been able to do that for.

“Novak’s longevity has been the greatest. He’s played at this level for such a long time now.”

Djokovic has won three of the four Grand Slams this year and is back up to world No. 1 after the US Open.

The only major final he lost in 2023 was at Wimbledon where he was beaten in five sets by Carlos Alcaraz.

Alcaraz is seen as the closest challenger to Djokovic at the moment, but Murray has suggested he still has plenty of work to do.

“Everyone was saying it was a changing of the guard [after Wimbledon], but it wasn’t for me.

“It was quite clear Novak had won two of the first three Slams and was very, very close in the final of Wimbledon.

“He proved that he’s the best player in the world again yesterday and like I said it’s up to the youngsters to improve enough to take him.

“I don’t think he’s going to stop at 24 titles, but you never know how long it will last. Physically, motivation, whether someone like Alcaraz improves – he’s an amazing player Alcaraz, he’s brilliant, but to do what Novak is doing on a consistent basis is different.

Murray is preparing to play for Great Britain in the Davis Cup group stage this week.

GB are in Group B alongside last year’s runners-up Australia, France and Switzerland.

Djokovic will be representing Serbia, although he will miss their opening tie against South Korea on Tuesday. He is set to play against Spain on Friday and on Saturday against the Czech Republic.

The top two in each group qualify for the finals in November.