AFTER 350 DAYS.. A WIN THAT SAYS MURRAY IS BACK
But victorious Andy’s in no rush to commit to Wimbledon
I’m going to keep points shorter if I can, use serve and volley when I have the chance
ANDY MURRAY showed flashes of his old magic with new tactics in his first win since Wimbledon last year.
He then claimed he could wait until this weekend to decide whether to play his home Grand Slam next week.
The ex-world No.1 beat Stan Wawrinka (above) 6-1 6-3 in 77 minutes at the Nature Valley International at Eastbourne.
He said he will continue to deploy a more aggressive style with shorter points following his January hip surgery.
And he will further test himself against British No.1 Kyle Edmund tomorrow.
Murray said he still has to decide if he is fit enough to play at Wimbledon after completing only his second competitive match in 11 months.
The Scot, who pulled out of the US Open in August after the draw was made and could now do the same at Wimbledon, said: “I’m not going to decide until nearer the time. I’m not putting any pressure on myself to make that decision after one match here or two matches, I don’t need to.
“I’m coming back from a very serious injury which is not easy. My health and body are my No.1 priority right now, and I’ll make that decision when I’m ready. If I feel like I’m in good enough shape, I’ll do it. And if I don’t, then I won’t play.
“But the last two matches that I have played have been positive in many respects.
“It depends a little bit on here, as well. I could obviously still be playing then. The nature of the way our sport works is that I could be competing in the tournament, so I have no idea what’s happening on Thursday, or Friday or Saturday.
“I could potentially play a match on Friday of three hours and not feel good the next day. I’ll have to wait and see what happens the next few days.”
The draw for Wimbledon is at 10am on Friday. Murray played for two hours and 39 minutes on his losing return at Queen’s last week, but he made shorter work of his fellow three-time Grand Slam champ to claim his first win since July 10 last year. Murray produced some stunning shots – including a running forehand winner and a backhand lob volley accompanied by trademark fist pumps – as he won without dropping his serve.
He said: “I’m happy to win. I tried to shorten the points, something I used to do when I was younger, and I’m going to keep points shorter if I can, use the serve and volley, come forward when I get a chance.”