In-form Andy looks to next challenge
Andy Murray is back in action in France today as he looks to continue his good form ahead of the French Open.
The Dunblane ace rolled back the years last week when he claimed his first tour title since 2019. He defeated world number 17 Tommy Paul in the final of the ATP Challenger event on clay in Aix-en-provence.
Now the 36-year-old is eyeing up his next tournament that gets underway today. Sir Andy will be in action at the starstudded ATP Challenger Tour 175 event in Bordeaux.
Despite being the third-oldest player in the Top 50, Murray can still take down the best players in the world.
The path to a second title in as many weeks won’t be an easy one. The former world number one could clash with three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka in the second round, should the Swiss defeat qualifier Ugo Blanchet in his opener.
The pair have met on the biggest stages of the sport, including in two tour-level finals – 2008 in Doha and 2019 in Antwerp – and two Grand Slam semi-finals – at Roland Garros in 2016 and again in 2017. They’ve also met at the Nitto ATP Finals, in the Davis Cup, and at the Olympics.
Across 22 tour-level meetings, Murray leads Wawrinka 13-9.
If Murray were to meet the 24-year-old Blanchet, it would be their first meeting.
The second seed Murray is in the bottom half of the draw alongside Richard Gasquet, Ugo Humbert, Mikael Ymer, and Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Murray, the world number 52, had been a late entry in Aix-en-provence after losing his first two matches of the clay-court season in Monte Carlo and Madrid, but he recovered from a slow start in southern France to beat American Paul 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, securing his first clay-court title since 2016.