“All the players have still showed up” Andy Murray hits out at ATP over points removal from Wimbledon
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Andy Murray
World No. 52, Andy Murray will return to the All-England Club for the 2022 Wimbledon Championships looking for his fourth career major and third at the Grand Slam. Murray has been the flagbearer of British tennis ever since he made his debut and is still one of the biggest players the nation has in the sport having the hopes of winning the slam on home soil. Despite an injury scare a couple of weeks ago, the Brit is completely fit to enter the Grand Slam and looks forward to making a deep run.
“It’s gone well, I’ve been able to gradually progress in my training and this week, I got to play a few sets and a lot of points. The last few days have been good. I showed a couple of weeks ago that there was still good tennis left in me. I beat a guy in the top five (Tsitsipas) and was neck-and-neck with Berrettini, who is one of the best grasscourt players in the world, before my injury. And I’ve been doing pretty well in practice. I know the tennis is in there. I just need to bring it out during the event,” said Murray in his pre-tournament press conference.
“I just don’t see who it helps” Andy Murray on the ranking removal by ATP
With the ban on Russian and Belarusian players still in place, the ATP has also ensured that no ranking points will be awarded to the players this year at the Grand Slam while all points of last year will be docked causing a massive upheaval in the rankings. Murray expressed his opinions on the ban and points removal and it was evident that he did not like it.
“I’ve spoken about this quite a few times, I understand why this decision was taken. I also know quite a few of the Russian and Belarusian players on the men’s side, I am quite friendly and get along well with them. I feel bad for them, I can understand their frustration on their side and in terms of the response from ATP, I didn’t really agree with them. I just don’t see who does it helps, all the players have still showed up here so I don’t see how it puts ATP in a stronger position moving forward. But that’s just my opinion,” said the Brit.
“There is a lot of pressure”: Murray on Brits coming into Wimbledon
Prior to Andy winning the 2013 Wimbledon Championships, no British man had won it since Fred Perry in 1936 and Murray had ended the wait of 76 years for a homegrown player to win the Grand Slam. He repeated the feat in 2016 in what was a fantastic season for him as he achieved the World No. 1 ranking and secured it for the year-end as well. He however talked about how the pressure increases at the Grand Slam and if he would give any advice to struggling compatriot Emma Raducanu or other British players.
“I haven’t given advice to Emma or any of the British players on how to deal with that side of things. No one has asked me but I won’t call them up and tell, ‘hey this is how you should deal with it’ because that’s the right way to go because everyone is different, everyone feels in a different way and will handle it differently. I certainly didn’t handle things differently during the Wimbledon period and but I can also understand probably the different emotions and stresses you feel coming into this tournament.
“The tournament is great, it is amazing but there are challenges that come with it and it’s difficult. I don’t know how much has changed over the years. Maybe for me, like at the beginning of the career, there’s not really much expected of you and then quite quickly, a lot is expected, the better you do and higher the ranking is, then a lot is expected of you and there is a lot of pressure,” added Murray.
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Sarthak Shitole
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