What Andy Murray needs to do next after impressive Washington win

Kevin Palmer 03 Aug 2023 12:18 AM

Andy Murray defying his critics by winning in Washington

Andy Murray won his first match since his disappointing second round exit at Wimbledon last month and now he will be eyeing up some big success on American hard courts over the next few weeks.

Murray battled hard against dangerous opponent Brandon Nakashima to seal a 7-6(5) 6-4 victory, with the Scot letting out some big screams of joy after he hit a winning forehand on match point.

That final point highlighted the improvement Murray has made in his game in recent months, with his improved serve opening up the chance for him to finish the point.

He is also hitting his forehand with more intent than in recent years, with his ATP Challenger successes on grass courts at Surbiton and Nottingham in June achieved with some fine attacking tennis from the three-time Grand Slam champion.

What Murray now needs to do is build on this victory against Nakashima by continuing with his more aggressive approach and going after opponents with intent.

At times in his latest match against Nakashima, Murray was pressed into defensive mode, but he was always eager to spring out and reclaim the initiative.

This was especially evident as he fell behind in the first set tie-break, yet the 36-year-old eventually prevailed with some impressive attacking tennis.

Now Murray should focus on adding depth to his ground shots, as Nakashima and many of his opponents have been able to get on top of Murray when he drops the ball short.

That was a big issue as he opened the door for Stefanos Tsitsipas to come from behind to beat him at Wimbledon, with Murray’s flat performance when that resumed on a second day leading to questions over whether he has the desire to continue at the top of the game.

This was a hungry and motivated Murray seeing off Nakashima, with the jaded and powerless Murray who lost to Tsitsipas at Wimbledon a very different beast.

If the Scot shows this kind of aggression on the court on hard courts he has thrived on in the past, he could be in for a rise up the ATP rankings and may well get a seeded berth for the US Open.

Murray has limited points to defend ahead of the US Open and he needs around 300 ranking points to get into the top 32 required to be seeded for the final Grand Slam of 2023.

With 2,500 points up for grabs in this week’s ATP 500 event in Washington and the upcoming Masters 1000 events in Toronto and Cincinnati, Murray will need four of five wins in his next three tournaments to achieve his stated aim of getting back among the seeds at the final major tournament of 2023.

A message from the man himself! ✨

🤳 @andy_murray @mubadalacitidc | #MubadalaCitiDCOpen pic.twitter.com/rYVmWyG2o2

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 2, 2023