The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)

Murrays will take on England at P&J Live

- RYAN CRYLE

Scottish tennis superstar Sir Andy Murray will take to the court in Aberdeen later this year. The two-time Wimbledon champion is set to be joined by brother Jamie and current British number one Dan Evans for a pre-Christmas Scotlandve­rsus-England showdown at the Granite City’s P&J Live arena.

The event, on December 21 and 22, will be the fourth instalment of the Battle of the Brits series, organised by Jamie Murray to raise cash for the NHS in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Andy and Jamie, competing in Scotland for the first time since threetime Grand Slam winner Andy played Roger Federer in Glasgow in 2017, will lead a team of their compatriot­s against an English team led by world number 28 Evans.

Tournament director Jamie, a seven-time Grand Slam champion in doubles and mixed doubles, said: “I am super excited to bring live tennis to Scotland.

“Andy and I have had some incredible experience­s competing as part of Team GB in the Davis Cup in Scotland, but to be able to represent Scotland is such a unique opportunit­y for us, especially against England.

“I would love to think Andy’s and my achievemen­ts can inspire a passion for tennis in Scotland and help build a lasting legacy for the sport here.

“Bringing big tennis events to Scotland is a huge part of that. This will be an amazing two days of tennis and entertainm­ent for all the family.”

The Battle of the Brits event at the state-of-the-art 7,000-seat venue will feature six matches.

There will be four singles rubbers and two doubles played over the two days, with details of more players involved to be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets go on general sale at 1pm today.

In 2020, three Battle of the Brits events were held, raising more than £100,000 for NHS charities.

December’s event will see the Murray brothers play tennis in Aberdeen for the first time in 15 years.

Former world number one men’s singles player Andy, 33, became the first British man in 77 years to win Wimbledon when he tasted victory at the All England Club in 2013.

Andy had won his first Slam in the US open a year earlier.

Andy, who also won singles gold in the 2012 London Olympics, went on to defend his Olympic title in Rio in 2016, winning Wimbledon for the second time in the same summer.

Meanwhile, Jamie, 35, is a former world number one in men’s doubles, having won both the Australian Open and US Open in 2016 with Bruno Soares.

In mixed doubles, he has won Wimbledon with Jelena Jankovic, Wimbledon and the US Open with Martina Hingis, and the US Open twice with Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

The Murray brothers spearheade­d Great Britain’s run to Davis Cup glory in 2015.

However, despite Andy being in the reckoning for Scotland’s greatest-ever sportsman – and the brothers being household names – they have not competed in the Granite City since the Aberdeen Cup events in 2005 and 2006.

In 2005, Andy and Jamie were part of a Scotland team that battled to victory over England in the Aberdeen Cup at a packed Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC).

Andy defeated Greg Rusedski in the final match to earn Scotland a 4-2 win.

Earlier in event, the Murrays had teamed up to beat Rusedski and David Sherwood in doubles.

Jamie and Elena Baltacha had taken another point from a mixed doubles rubber they played against Sherwood and Katie O’Brien.

Scotland, again led by the Murrays, triumphed 6-1 in the Aberdeen Cup the following year.

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 ??  ?? BRING ON ENGLAND: Jamie and Andy Murray will be among the Scots taking on the Auld Enemy, led by Dan Evans, in Aberdeen later this year.
BRING ON ENGLAND: Jamie and Andy Murray will be among the Scots taking on the Auld Enemy, led by Dan Evans, in Aberdeen later this year.

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