‘I was happy with it, returns were good, served pretty well,’ says Andy Murray after solid display

Andy Murray serving

Andy Murray declared himself happy with his performance after he was on the victorious side in the men’s doubles at the Battle of the Brits tournament in Roehampton.

The three-time grand-slam champion is getting match practice in ahead of a planned return to the main tour in a couple of weeks, having had the best part of nine months away.

He is only in doubles action at the team exhibition event in London as he avoids any risk of injury and won his second outing of the week, teaming up with Lloyd Glasspool to beat Dom Inglot and Alastair Gray 6-4, 6-4.

Murray looked in good shape, serving big and returning well.

He said after the match: “I was happy with it, I thought I played well, returns were good, served pretty well. I was happy, I thought it was a good performance.”

Murray is on the Union Jacks side in this team event, which consists of singles, doubles and mixed doubles featuring Britain’s best players.

British number two Heather Watson is finding some form ahead of the resumption of the WTA Tour as she downed 17-year-old Emma Raducanu.

Watson won her last tournament before the pandemic struck in Acapulco and is happy with the direction her game is going.

After hitting Radacanu off the court in a 6-2, 6-4 win, she said: “It was a great day for me, I have been saying after each of my previous matches that I have been getting better and better after each match, today was a big jump, I definitely played some really good tennis.

“I was just loving it and I thought I played really well.

“This is my first week of playing matches since the pandemic begun, it is getting that match practice in and getting used to the stress of playing a match again. I am dealing with it better and I am feeling better.”

Jodie Burrage also won for the Union Jacks, beating Harriet Dart 5-7, 6-4, 10-6, along with men Jan Choinski and Anton Matusevich, who beat Liam Broady and Aidan McHugh respectively.

Murray’s brother Jamie teamed up with Watson to earn three for the Union Jacks with a 6-4, 6-4 mixed doubles win over Joe Salisbury and Raducanu.

Olivia Nicholls and Alicia Barnett beat Eden Silva and Beth Grey 6-4, 6-3.

But singles wins for Maia Lumsden and Kyle Edmund over Naomi Broady and Ryan Peniston gave the British Bulldogs a 31-25 lead in the race to 60.

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