Murray must overcome mental scars: Djokovic
LONDON: Former world number one Novak Djokovic says overcoming the mental challenge will be Andy Murray’s biggest obstacle when he returns to tennis after a long-term hip injury.
Murray, who has been sidelined for almost a year since losing in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon last July, will face Australia’s Nick Kyrgios in the first round at the Queen’s Club tournament on Tuesday. “... I think the biggest challenge will always be mental,” Djokovic, who is trying to recapture top form after undergoing elbow surgery earlier this year, told British media.
“How to get it out of your head, understand that it’s behind you, that you’re fine now, that you’re healthy and you can focus on your game rather than thinking 50 percent of the time about whether or not something can happen.”
The 12-time Grand Slam champion also said grass might not be the ideal surface for Murray to make his return.
“I don’t know the state of his hips,” said Djokovic. “One thing that could be a bit dangerous is slipping on the grass. That’s something that is very unpredictable and grass is always this kind of surface where one wrong footing can make something go wrong, especially in the hips.”
MURRAY EXCITED
Murray, however, is excited to be returning at the Queen’s Club event this week after the former top-ranked player in the world experienced the “lowest point” of his career during an 11-month absence from tennis. “I’m really looking forward to playing again,” Murray said in his regular BBC Sport column. “While I will be nervous, it will be great to finally step back on the court.
KONTA SNUBS UMPIRE
NOTTINGHAM: Johanna Konta failed to shake the umpire’s hand after a bad-tempered end to the Nottingham Open final, with Ashleigh Barty winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. After the first two sets were shared, Konta recovered from 4-1 down in the decider to level at 4-4 but got angry with umpire Paula Vieira Souza for not overruling a Barty shot that looked long as the top seed held for 5-4. Neither the line judge nor Souza called it out. “It’s an absolute joke,” fourth-seeded Konta told Souza. “You’re making decisions that affect our lives. Do you fully understand that?”
WAWRINKA WINS
LONDON: Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka made light work of Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the opening round of the Queen’s Club tournament on Monday, winning 6-2 6-3.
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I don’t know the state of Andy Murray’s hips. But the one thing that could be a bit dangerous is slipping on the grass.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC, former World No. 1