Murray makes winning return alongside Broady
ANDY MURRAY made a winning return to court with victory in his opening doubles match at the Italian Open. The Scot, in partnership with Liam Broady, came from behind to beat Australian pair Max Purcell and Luke Saville 5-7 7-6 (5) 10-6 in a tight affair in Rome that lasted two hours.
Three-time grand slam winner Murray is stepping up his preparations for a potential singles comeback in either Geneva or Lyon next week.
The Scot has been recovering from a groin injury suffered in March.
He had travelled to Italy for a week of practice alongside some leading players.
However, he ended up in the doubles draw when he and Broady accepted a spot as alternates following the withdrawal of Hubert Hurkacz and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Earlier in the day, French Open tournament director Guy Forget speculated that Murray will only request a wildcard if he feels he can make a real impact on the main draw.
Wildcards for the 2021 French Open, which was pushed back to run between May 17 and June 6, have not yet been formally decided.
Tournament director Forget believes if Murray – who reached the 2016 final at Roland Garros – is confident he can deliver the required performance levels, then he could ask to feature again in the Paris grand slam.
“I know that Andy entered the qualifying, I know he is practising right now in Rome. I saw him play some games and sets with Novak Djokovic. I am going to talk to him again, or his agent,” Forget said during the Roland Garros 2021 press conference.
“We will have a couple of meetings with [French Tennis Federation president] Gilles [Moretton], [director general] Amelie [Oudea-Castera] and the technical director as well to see who made a request for a wildcard.
“Once again, Andy is a great player, he sure deserves one [a wildcard]. It is a discussion we have to have with him and our team. We want to see him in good shape. I hope he feels well.
“He hasn’t played any matches yet, which is obviously what any players wants to do before committing to a big tournament, especially when you are going to be play the best of five sets.
“We will probably speak to him and his entourage again and then we will make a decision next week.”
Murray, who went through hip resurfacing surgery in 2019 after a potential career-threatening problem, was handed a wildcard for last year’s tournament, which was rescheduled to late September because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Briton, though, suffered a straight-sets defeat against Stan Wawrinka in the first round.
Forget said: “Andy is trying his best to come back.
“His knowledge and experience is so big that if he feels physically fit and he can afford to play a few matches before Roland Garros, I believe, and it is only my guess, is that he can beat probably half of the people in the main draw.
“Andy knows he is not going to pretend to play tournaments if he does not feel he cannot compete with the best guys.
“Andy also knows he can get a wildcard or even qualify and then play [Rafael] Nadal first round.”