Murray feels ‘pumped’ for Wimbledon return

LONDON — Everything’s changed for Andy Murray at Wimbledon this time.

A two-time champion at the All England Club, he’s not considered a title contender — by himself or by anyone else.

He is not as prepared as usual as the grass-court Grand Slam tournament’s Monday start nears, having played three matches all year after returning from hip surgery.

He is not seeded, because his ranking is outside the top 150.

Murray is, however, thrilled to be playing, provided nothing crops up before he’s scheduled to face Benoit Paire of France in the first round on Tuesday.

“I always want to be here competing. It feels a little bit odd coming into the tournament this year,” Murray said Saturday after practicing at the All England Club. “Normally, like, at this stage, I feel really nervous, lots of pressure, and I expect a lot of myself around this time of year. I’ve always loved that and enjoyed that in a way. It has been difficult, but enjoyed it. Whereas this year, it feels very, very different.”

The first British man in 77 years to win a Wimbledon singles title when he did so in 2013, before adding another in 2016, Murray lost in the quarterfinals in 2017 to Sam Querrey, hampered by his hip. Murray didn’t play another match last season and then had his operation in January.

Nearly 12 months had passed by the time he ventured back into competition at the Queen’s Club grass-court event less than two weeks ago. Still with a hitch in his gait, Murray played more than 2½ hours before losing to Nick Kyrgios in three sets.

Last week, again on grass, Murray beat fellow three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka, before losing to countryman Kyle Edmund.

“I’m pumped obviously because, I mean, four or five weeks ago, I didn’t know whether I’d be capable of competing at a level I’d be happy with,” said Murray, a two-time Olympic singles gold medalist whose first Grand Slam championship came at the 2012 U.S. Open.

Now comes Paire, a former member of the top 20 who is ranked 48th.

Murray has won both of their two previous matchups, including in the fourth round at Wimbledon a year ago.

Ben Curtis The Associated Press Two-time Wimbledon men’s singles champion Andy Murray of Britain wipes his face during a practice session on Saturday.