Andy Murray eyeing up rankings leap ahead of Wimbledon
He is a former world No 1, a two-time Wimbledon champion and a player who will always belong at the top of tennis, yet Andy Murray’s desire shows no sign of waning.
With rain in the south London air, the 35-year-old Scot took to the courts at Surbiton Tennis Club in south London for the first time since 2004, as he started his grass court season with an appearance in an ATP Challenger event.
Many have questioned why Murray is continuing his career after hip surgery that would have ended most tennis stories, but the 35-year has an appetite for the competition he cannot kick.
Murray looked strong and was moving well as he beat Jurij Rodionov 6-2 6-1 and with an appearance in Stuttgart next week preceding his appearance at the Queen’s Club Championships in London in the second week of June, there is a chance he could lead up the ATP rankings ahead of Wimbledon.
He may be at No.67 in the latest rankings, but Murray could climb towards the top 32 seeded positions ahead of Wimbledon if he enjoys success on favourite surface in the coming weeks.
“I don’t know how many matches I would need to win exactly, but if I had a good run at Queen’s or next week that would give me a good chance of (being seeded),” he said.
“I have high expectations for myself and lofty goals and ambitions, which I talk about with my team regularly but I will not share them here. I don’t think there should be lots of expectation on me to do that well but I have trained hard.
“I have prepared well and physically feel good. Grass is my best surface I feel. I have prepared as best I can for it.
“We will find out in a few weeks what the outcome is for it but the thing I can control is not the results and the performances at Wimbledon but I can control my preparation, my attitude on the court and my effort.
“I can guarantee I will give 100 per cent on that side of things to give myself the best chance to have a good run.”
The Surbiton Trophy also features rising British star Jack Draper and former Wimbledon semi-finalist Sam Querrey, who beat Murray at Wimbledon in 2017 when the Scot’s hip problem flared up and forced him to go under the knife to keep his caeer alive.
That this dogged competitor is still going strong after overcoming so much adversity is a mark of his competitive spirit.
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