Andy Murray handed a tough draw as his Miami Open fate is revealed

ATP Tour

Kevin Palmer
March 22, 2021

The Miami Masters will have a fresh look when it gets underway without the ‘big three’ of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, but their one-time rival Andy Murray will be making his return at ATP 1000 level.

Former world No.1 Murray will be one of the big names in action in Florida after accepting a wild card into the event, with the Scot drawn against South Africa’s Lloyd Harris

It is a tough draw for Murray against a player who went all the way to the final of the ATP 500 event in Dubai last week, losing to Aslan Karatsev in the final.

Harris beat Denis Shapovalov, Kei Nishikori, Filip Krajinović and US Open champion Dominic Thiem on a remarkable run to that final, with his powers of recovery set to be tested as he flies to Florida for a quick return to action.

Murray’s fellow Brit Dan Evans is seeded No.9 for the event amid a host of withdrawals and he will receive a bye in the first round.

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The tournament should offer a glimpse into the future of the game with top seed Daniil Medvedev facing possible match-ups against Alexander Zverev, Roberto Bautista Agut and Felix Auger-Aliassime as he aims to make it through to a fifth ATP Masters 1000 final.

Third seed Zverev, a winner of three Masters 1000 crowns from seven finals, may face 17-year-old Carlos Alcaraz for the second week running, or Emil Ruusuvuori of Finland in the second round.

Meanwhile, second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who was beaten by Zverev in last weekend’s Mexico Open final, is in the same part of the draw as Andrey Rublev, Diego Schwartzman, Denis Shapovalov and last week’s Dubai champion Aslan Karatsev.

With so many of the game’s big names missing, an opportunity will knock for one of the game’s rising stars and it may also be a tournament that will provide three-time Grand Slam champion Murray with a chance to bounce back into contention.

The draw for the WTA draw at the Miami Open will be star-studded, with 19 of the world’s top 20 players all taking part.

Reigning Miami champion Ashleigh Barty is set to play her first tournament away from Australia since the 2020 Qatar Total Open and could face is No.25 seed Alison Riske in her opening match. The American, who is looking to win her first match since the US Open last year, will face either 2017 Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko or Wang Xiyu.

Three-time Miami champion Victoria Azarenka is seeded at No.14 and is a potential Round of 16 opponent for Barty, with Simone Halep and Elina Svitolina also in that half of the draw.

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World No.2 Naomi Osaka is back in action, with the Australian Open champion taking her 21-match winning streak into Miami and she will open the tournament against either Russian teenager Anastasia Potapova or Ajla Tomljanovic.

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Andy Murray