Federer will test fitness of Murray
MIKE DICKSON
Andy Murray will make a return of sorts to a tennis court for the first time in more than four weeks tonight, when he fulfils his commitment to play a charity exhibition match against roger Federer in Zurich.
and according to sources close to the world no 1, he is now set to make an altogether more serious comeback when the aTP claycourt season starts in earnest at the Monte Carlo Open next week.
It is 31 days since Murray last played, losing his opening match in the Indian Wells Masters event. He has since been suffering from an elbow injury and the effects of being generally run down, with bouts of shingles and flu in the last two months.
Judging by pictures in the last few days from the academy run in nice by Serena Williams’ coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, he is in much ruder health before the busiest part of the season.
However, the Scot’s return was too late for the davis Cup quarter-final, which saw Great Britain already beaten by Saturday night.
In yesterday’s dead rubbers, dan Evans won a distinctly lighthearted encounter 6-1, 6-2 against French doubles player Julien Benneteau and a final 4-1 scoreline was sealed when Jeremy Chardy beat Kyle Edmund 6-4, 6-4.
It is now ten months before Great Britain will play in the davis Cup again, having secured their place in the 16-team 2018 World Group by reaching the last eight for the fourth consecutive year.
Captain Leon Smith expects a renewed commitment from Murray to the team next year, and thinks that one day he will be sitting in the skipper’s chair.
‘He can take my job when he’s ready, I’d vacate this seat for him,’ said Smith.
‘But andy has a long way to go yet. He loves playing, so it would not surprise me if he plays on tour for a long time and carries on with the davis Cup.
‘He has always liked team events and I know how much he missed being here.’
While GB still lacks strength in depth, the incoming new chief executive of the Lawn Tennis association will still inherit a stronger position at the elite end of the game than there has been for a long time.
a replacement for Canadian Michael downey is expected to be named in the next two months. One person believed to have been spoken to is debbie Jevans, a former player who worked on the London Olympics and rugby World Cup.
another is Scott Lloyd, son of entrepreneur and former davis Cup player david, who has successfully run indoor tennis and leisure centres.
Building up a proper stock of genuine international-class players is a work in progress.
Smith had two of the better prospects along as hitting partners in rouen — Cameron norrie, a 21- year-old partly raised in new Zealand, who has been one of the outstanding players in american college tennis, and Jay Clarke, 18, who has recently been winning lower tier professional events to boost his ranking towards the top 400.
Clarke is being coached by Spaniard Esteban Carril, who masterminded the startling rise of Jo Konta to the women’s top ten.
‘Jay put up good resistance in practice and that’s what you are looking for at that age,’ said Smith. ‘Cam norrie is doing really well in the nCaas and turns pro in May. He hits a great ball.
‘To be ranked 237, as he is after only eight professional tournaments, means he’s on the right track.’
Meanwhile, Manchester is said to have declared a tentative interest in hosting the seasonend WTa Championships from 2019, which are currently staged in Singapore.