Andy Murray took his defeat to Kyle Edmund at the ‘Battle of the Brits’ event in stride and the former world number one says he is on the right path to playing at the highest level again after a seven-month layoff due to hip problems.
Murray beat Liam Broady on Tuesday in the charity tournament in his first competitive match since the Davis Cup Finals in November, before the twice Wimbledon champion lost 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 10-5 to Edmund on Wednesday.
“To be honest, I am not bothered about the results of the match, after a match like that I hope my hip is OK, and I pull up well from it,” said Murray.
The week-long event, organised by Murray’s brother Jamie while professional tennis remains suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is being played behind closed doors with strict health protocols in place.
Murray has said he is looking forward to competing at the US Open and French Open later this year. “I know if my hip is good, my tennis will only improve and get better over the next few months.
If I can get consistent practice,” he said. “The hip feels good. If I play like that and do a few things better, sharpen up a couple of things, I will play high level tennis. That was good, positive. Then it’s pulling up the next day, see how you feel, not getting in a situation where you have to take two to three weeks off to recover basically.”
Tomljanovic downs
local favourite Rogers at
Charleston tennis event
Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic handed Shelby Rogers another disappointing defeat in her hometown on Wednesday with a straight set win in the Credit One Bank Invitational in Charleston, South Carolina. Tomljanovic beat Rogers 6-1, 6-2 on the second day of the tournament, which is giving WTA players, led by Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, a chance to compete before the women’s tennis tour ends its coronavirus shutdown in August. It’s not the first time Tomljanovic has tested herself since the Covid-19 pandemic brought the WTA tour — along with virtually all global sport — to a standstill. She competed in last month’s UTR Pro Match Series.
Other results on Wednesday, which saw a second straight day of rain delays, included Amanda Anisimova’s 7-5, 6-4 victory over fellow American Daniella Collins and team captain Bethanie Mattek-Sands’ 6-1, 6-3 victory over Puerto Rico’s Olympic gold medallist Monica Puig.
US Open to hold wheelchair event after player backlash
US Open organisers said on Wednesday they will include a wheelchair tournament at this year’s Grand Slam following a player backlash over their decision to scrap the event as part of measures to curb the spread of Covid-19.
The United States Tennis Association’s announcement comes five days after the national governing body said it was rethinking their decision and that it could have better communicated with wheelchair athletes.
Australian Paralympic tennis champion Dylan Alcott, who led the player backlash and had described the exclusion as “disgusting discrimination”, thanked organisers for reversing the decision.
“I was in tears (when the event was excluded),” the twice US Open champion said. The changes at this year’s US
Open in New York include no spectators, reducing the number of teams in the men’s and women’s doubles events by half, and the elimination of the mixed doubles and juniors competitions.
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