Sir Andy to get royal treatment in Melbourne

The men’s world number one is set to be treated as tennis royalty at the Australian Open next week with the official local broadcaster planning to refer to him as “Sir Andy Murray”.
The Scot was knighted in Britain’s New Year Honours list after a magnificent 2016 and tennis chiefs have been mulling what to call him, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
It said Channel Seven had decided to reference the three-time Grand Slam champion by his new official title when he plays his first match in Australia since being recognised by the Queen.
“Not only is he tennis royalty, he’s now a Knight Bachelor, so yes of course we will be showing him the respect he deserves and refer to him as Sir Andy Murray,” the broadcaster’s head of sport Saul Shtein said.
Murray’s brother, Jamie, playing doubles at the Sydney International, said it would be “weird” to hear broadcasters and announcers in Melbourne call his sibling “Sir”.
“If he is walking out on to court and the announcer is calling him as Sir Andy Murray, that would be a bit weird, yeah,” he told the Herald.
Earlier this week, Murray told British media he wants his rivals on the circuit to keep calling him Andy.
“A few of the players have been chatting to me about it and asking how it works, what does it mean and what do we call you,” Murray said. “Andy is fine.”
Murray’s stellar 2016 saw him crowned Wimbledon champion, enjoy a successful Olympic title defence and end the year with the top ranking.
He enters the opening Grand Slam of the year as a five-time loser in the Melbourne Park final and determined to end the jinx. Meanwhile, Murray and Angelique Kerber were named the top seeds for the Australian Open with organisers aligning with the current rankings. Scotland’s Murray is chasing his first title at Melbourne Park after losing in the final five times, including in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016 to Serb rival Novak Djokovic, who is seeded two.
Kerber will be defending her first Grand Slam having upset Serena Williams, seeded two this year, in the decider last year. Big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic, who lost to Murray in the 2016 semi-finals, is the third men’s seed with 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka fourth and Japanese hope Kei Nishikori fifth.
Swiss legend Roger Federer starts at 17 as he makes a comeback after six months out with a knee injury. His old foe Rafael Nadal, also returning from injury, is ninth.
 Serena Williams, gunning for a 23rd Grand Slam title to beat Steffi Graf’s Open-era record, is scheduled to again meet Kerber in the women’s final.
But there are a host of dangerous players looking to stop her, with Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska seeded three and Romania’s Simona Halep four. US Open finalist Karolina Pliskova rounds out the top five.

SEEDINGS FOR AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Men’s singles
 1. Andy Murray (GBR), 2. Novak Djokovic (SRB), 3. Milos Raonic (CAN), 4. Stan Wawrinka (SUI), 5. Kei Nishikori (JPN), 6. Gael Monfils (FRA), 7. Marin Cilic (CRO), 8. Dominic Thiem (AUT), 9. Rafael Nadal (ESP), 10. Tomas Berdych (CZE), 11. David Goffin (BEL), 12. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA), 13. Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP), 14. Nick Kyrgios (AUS), 15. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL), 16. Lucas Pouille (FRA), 17. Roger Federer (SUI), 18. Richard Gasquet (FRA), 19. John Isner (USA), 20. Ivo Karlovic (CRO), 21. David Ferrer (ESP), 22. Pablo Cuevas (URU), 23. Jack Sock (USA), 24. Alexander Zverev (GER), 25. Gilles Simon (FRA), 26. Albert Ramos-Vinolas (ESP), 27. Bernard Tomic (AUS), 28. Feliciano Lopez (ESP), 29. Viktor Troicki (SRB), 30. Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP), 31. Sam Querrey (USA), 32. Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER)

 Women’s singles
 1. Angelique Kerber (GER), 2. Serena Williams (USA), 3. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL), 4. Simona Halep (ROM), 5. Karolina Pliskova (CZE), 6. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK), 7. Garbine Muguruza (ESP), 8. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS), 9. Johanna Konta (GBR), 10. Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP), 11. Elina Svitolina (UKR), 12. Timea Bacsinszky (SUI), 13. Venus Williams (USA), 14. Elena Vesnina (RUS), 15. Roberta Vinci (ITA), 16. Barbora Strycova (CZE), 17. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN), 18. Samantha Stosur (AUS), 19. Kiki Bertens (NED), 20. Zhang Shuai (CHN), 21 Caroline Garcia (FRA), 22. Daria Gavrilova (AUS), 23. Daria Kasatkina (RUS), 24. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS), 25.
Timea Babos (HUN), 26. Laura Siegemund (GER), 27. Irina-Camelia Begu (ROM), 28. Alize Cornet (FRA), 29. Monica Puig (PUR),
30. Ekaterina Makarova (RUS), 31. Yulia Putintseva (KAZ), 32. Anastasija Sevastova (LAT)