Jamie Murray on doubles partnership with Andy: We complement each other well

ATP Tour
Jamie Murray and Andy Murray tactics

Andy and Jamie Murray have been going “through a few strategies” ahead of the Citi Open, but Jamie says it should be fun teaming up with his brother in the doubles again.

With Andy still only playing doubles as he continues to nurse his way back to full fitness following hip surgery in January, the Murray brothers announced earlier this week that they would team up for the first time since the 2016 Davis Cup.

Their last tournament on the ATP Tour was in 2013, but writing in his BBC Sport column Jamie explained that things fell into place for Washington as his regular partner Neal Skupski is unavailable.

“My brother Andy and I will be teaming up in the doubles at the Citi Open in Washington next week and I am really looking forward to it,” he wrote.

“I couldn’t play in Washington with my partner Neal Skupski because he is playing the World Team Tennis season in the US, which is a three-week commitment after Wimbledon.

“I was always looking for someone to play with in Washington so it’s great that Andy is able to do it. I had asked Andy what his plans were for the summer while he was waiting to get some of the feedback from the physical testing he had been doing for his hip. Once he got the all clear, he was able to make a plan.”

He added: “We practised together on Wednesday and we will do more when we get out to Washington – we’ll have a few days in which we can prepare and get ready for the tournament.

“During practice, we tend to go through a few strategies and positioning, mainly for Andy’s benefit because he’s not as used to playing doubles. Recently, he’s obviously become more committed to it and he’s a great player who reads the game so well, so I have to just let him be him and play the game that he knows best.

“We complement each other well on the court. His return is amazing and that can give me a lot of action up at the net, and when I’m there I can also help him out on his serve.

“We know each other’s games and I guess, because we are brothers, we are able to communicate that bit better and have more honesty than other partnerships. At the end of the day, partners can fall out but the difference with us being brothers is that we will always make up, so it makes it a lot easier.

“That’s probably the reason the Bryan brothers, who have won 16 Grand Slam titles together, have been so successful over the years, because of that family bond and the natural communication they are able to have.

“It’s all fun, I’m really looking forward to it and hopefully we can have a good week there.”

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