ATP Tour: Six things to watch at the Citi Open

ATP Tour
Andy Murray celebrates

Washington DC hosts an ATP Tour event with fans for the first time in three years as the Citi Open allows spectators.

The Citi Open holds an ATP 500 license but has only attracted one top ten player.

That doesn’t mean the field doesn’t hold intrigue and isn’t packed with quality.

Andy Murray back on hard courts

Andy Murray swinging

Andy Murray has had mixed form on hard courts this season but will be determined to finish strong after a promising grass swing was hampered by fitness issues.

Murray will need to get past Sweden’s Mikael Ymer to secure a second round date with 15th seed Aslan Karatsev who enjoys a bye.

He is set to play singles in DC for the first time in four years.

Can Andrey Rublev regain lost momentum at Citi Open?

Andrey Rublev

Andrey Rublev seemed to be on a roll earlier this season but the UK grass court ban on Russians has broken his momentum.

An early exit in Hamburg ensured he could get a head start on shifting across to hard courts.

Rublev has won three titles this season and cannot be discounted in any field let alone one devoid of any other top ten players.

Great entertainer Grigor Dimitrov

Grigor Dimitrov Monte Carlo Masters

Grigor Dimitrov has offered inconsistent form this season but he is a remarkable athlete and always a great watch.

He enters DC with an 18-13 win-loss record in 2022 and a title drought that stretches back to the 2017 ATP Tour finals.

Dimitrov also enjoys a bye into the second round and will face the winner of the match between Frenchman Adrian Mannarino and American wildcard Bradley Klahn.

Strong British contingent

Jack Draper

Alongside Murray, there will be a strong contingent of British players with Kyle Edmund set to return and Jack Draper and Daniel Evans.

Draper has threatened an ATP Tour breakthrough this season after rattling off Challenger Series wins earlier in the year. He faces American wildcard Stefan Kozlov with a place in the Round of 16 match against Rublev on the line.

Edmund has been treading a slow path back to the tour but has a favourable draw at the very least.

Don’t write off the Americans

John Isner Reilly Opelka

There are plenty of strong American players in the field as well with recent titlist Maxime Cressy, Indians Wells Champion Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Reilly Opelka and Tommy Paul all enjoying a bye into the Round of 16.

Also entered are Jenson Brooksby, who holds a 5-0 record in ATP Tour quarterfinals this season, and another highly-rated youngster in, Sebastian Korda.

Marcos Giron has been handed a tough draw as he is set to face Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios in the first round.

Nick Kyrgios returns to action

Nick Kyrgios antics

Having taken time off after his exhausting run to the Wimbledon final, Kyrgios is set to return to the ATP Tour.

Kyrgios was in the Bahamas enjoying some R&R and comes back in a refreshed state.

Some will see his efforts in DC as a barometer of what we can expect from the firebrand post-Wimbledon.

Andrey Rublev Andy Murray Nick Kyrgios

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