The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Murray dropping down to Challenger Tour level
TENNIS: Scots ace looks to build up match fitness after losses
Andy Murray will play on the Challenger Tour for the first time in 14 years next week.
The Scot’s entry into the Rafa Nadal Open at the Spaniard’s academy on his home island of Majorca was confirmed yesterday.
The former world number one has lost both of the singles matches he has played since returning from January’s hip surgery and, with the US Open starting on Monday, is dropping down a level as he builds up his match fitness.
Murray, now ranked 329, was beaten by Richard Gasquet in Cincinnati last week in his first singles contest since the Australian Open, then lost to Tennys Sandgren at the Winston-Salem Open on Monday.
He will return to ATP level at the Zhuhai Championships beginning on September 23 and has also committed to the China Open and the European Open in Antwerp.
Murray’s last appearance at Challenger level came in Mons in Belgium in October 2005. Only 18, the Scot had reached his first ATP Tour final the week before in Bangkok and retired in the quarter-finals.
Murray won two Challenger titles earlier the same year but progressed quickly through that level, finishing 2005 ranked 64.
Meanwhile Serena Williams will start her bid for a seventh US Open singles crown against familiar foe Maria Sharapova.
Williams’ match-up with Sharapova is the pick of the women’s first-round draw, which sees British No 1 Johanna Konta start out against Russia’s Daria Kasatkina and No 1 seed Naomi Osaka starts the defence of her title against Russia’s Anna Blinkova.
Britain has three players in the men’s draw – Kyle Edmund, Dan Evans and Cameron Norrie. British No 1 Kyle Edmund, the 30th seed, meets Spanish veteran Pablo Andujar in the first round, while Evans comes up against Adrian Mannarino of France.
Norrie has been drawn against a qualifier ahead of what could be a secondround meeting with 15th seed David Goffin.
Three-time champion Novak Djokovic, the number one seed, begins the defence of his title against Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena.
Roger Federer will play a qualifier in the first round while No 2 seed Rafael Nadal has a tricky opening against Australian John Millman.