ANDY’S NEED FOR SEED
Scot’s ranking goal as he’s tipped for a Wimbers run
ANDY MURRAY has been backed to go on a deep run at Wimbledon after the Scot targeted securing a seeding for his home Grand Slam.
The former world No.1 will rise up the rankings from No.66 – likely by about four places, depending on how other results go during the remainder of the Australian Open – after losing in the third round to Roberto Bautista Agut.
The 35-year-old Scot has yet to get beyond that stage with his metal hip but his low ranking gives him no protection in the early rounds.
He lost to world No.3 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round of the 2021 US Open.
And although he beat No.14 seed Matteo Berrettini in his opening match Down Under, playing two five-setters against the Italian and then Thanasi Kokkinakis left him out of gas for his painful four-set defeat to the Spaniard.
Getting back into the top 32 and avoiding any seeds in the first round would leave more in the tank at future Slams.
Murray said: “It does matter. If you want to have good runs in these events, you have to beat the best players at some stage.
“In the last few years some of the draws at Slams have been very tricky. I was quite clear that it was something I wanted to do last year to try to get into the seeded spots. It didn’t quite happen. I want to move my ranking up and see just how high I can go with everything that’s gone on.
“I will certainly be trying to improve my ranking in the next few months. I can have a deeper run than the third round of a Slam, there’s no question about that. Obviously draws can open up for you. I need to also help myself with that.” Murray next plans to play in Rotterdam and Dubai next month, then the Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami. He faces a decision over the clay-court season – he played in Madrid but not the French Open last year – before the build-up to grass. His Davis Cup captain Leon Smith paid tribute to the physical stamina of the two-time Wimbledon singles champ and added: “I think an important thing is he’s playing great. The way he’s taken on the ball, the ball speed. His forehand looks great. His movement is excellent. He can go on a run at Wimbledon. It’s going to be hard but he is giving himself every chance to be successful. “He’s still motivated. He still wants to get back into the top 32 to be seeded to do even more damage at Slams.
“To still have that motivation to keep going to achieve more is just incredible.”
Smith praised the input of Ivan Lendl in his third spell as Murray’s head coach.
The Scot added: “You can see that complete belief in Andy and what you can do.
“But the whole team plays a massive part in it. And it’s got to be driven by Andy. His passion is off the charts.”
Murray, who will turn 36 in May, clocked up more than 14 hours on court in Melbourne
That included his longest and latest-ever match against Kokkinakis, which left him with blisters and a sore back, before facing No.24 seed Bautista Agut only 39 hours later.
Smith said: “What he’s done this week has been one of the most impressive physical acts any athlete could do.
“You talk about a role model, that desire, that hunger we’ve talked about throughout his career but it’s even more prominent now.”