Andy Murray switches to the Challenger Tour - and starts successfully
Andy Murray has once again gone one step lower in the past few months - on the Challenger Tour. There the Scot had a safe opening victory against the German Yannick Maden in the first lap.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Sep 13, 2021, 09:04 pm
With all the drama about Andy Murray's first round duel with Stefanos Tsitsipas at the US Open, it was above all a pleasure to see the Scots play at an extremely high level again - and to be able to compete with the best in the sport. Although it set a five-sentence defeat for the former world number one, which did not gain much fame from its Greek opponent due to discussions about excessive toilet breaks, it was still evident that the Andy Murray era might not be over after all.
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Because the three-time Grand Slam winner, now equipped with a metal hip due to protracted injury odyssey, has not yet let the fire go out for tennis. But on the contrary. Instead of waiting for the next event on the ATP tour, you can see the Scotsman at work these days in the tranquil scenery of a Challenger event. Andy Murray is serving at the indoor event in Rennes, France.
Murray hits maggots
There the 34-year-old got off to a good start on Monday, the world number 116. completed his first task against the German Yannick Maden with flying colors and made it to the second round in two sets. The start of the match was promising, already in the third rally, the 34-year-old grabbed a forehand pass that had been executed so irresistibly for many years in a full sprint - in the eighth game this was also reflected on the scoreboard, Murray made the first break of the game, which the former world number one was also able to transport to 6: 3 set win.
In the second set, Andy Murray finally got an early break, and the Scot didn't burn much afterwards. With 6: 3 and 6: 1, the world number 116 solved. finally his ticket for the second round, in which he is now up against Roman Safiullin or the French qualifier Manuel Guinard. The top seed in Rennes is local hero Richard Gasquet, with fellow countryman Arthur Rinderknech going to work on number two.