Andy feels he’s still among elite

Andy Murray believes he remains among the elite grasscourt players after he began his Wimbledon preparations with a comfortable victory over Chung Hyeon in the first round of the Surbiton Trophy.

The Scot claimed a

6-3 6-2 win as he attempts to be seeded in the men’s single draw next month.

The two-time Wimbledon champion skipped the French

Open to focus on his grass season and this was his first match in preparation for the All England Club, where the championships get under way on July 3.

The 36-year-old is ranked 43rd and needs to climb around 10 places to be seeded for Wimbledon, where Murray believes he will remain a difficult opponent for anyone.

Asked if he is in the top 10 players in the world on his favourite grass surface, Murray replied: “Yes, I think so. It is hard to put numbers on it but yes, I would fancy myself against a lot of them.

“Last year I won against (Nick) Kyrgios who made the final of Wimbledon, I won against (Stefanos) Tsitsipas – it is probably not his favourite surface but he is one of the best players in the world.

“I was a set all with (Matteo) Berrettini – who is quite clearly in the top few grass-court players – in the final of Stuttgart before I hurt my abs.

“I’m playing better this year than I was last year but it is kind of irrelevant if you say that you have to perform and win the matches on the court and it is up to me to show that in the next four or five weeks.” That five-week push to Wimbledon began against Chung, with Murray hitting his stride early on to ease past the South Korean, whose own injury issues have limited his progress in recent years.

There were also signs of the vintage Murray – arguing more than one line call with the umpire and chuntering away to himself when missing shots he felt should have landed.