Andy Murray’s return to China has him struggling for breath as he scrapes through into the second round at the Zhuhai Championships

Andy Murray is unable to cope with the humidity at China.

Andy Murray’s return to China has him struggling for breath as he scrapes through into the second round at the Zhuhai Championships

Andy Murray (Image via The Times)

Former World No.1 Andy Murray was left breathless after his first-round victory at the Zhuhai Championships in China. The Briton rushed to China after a successful campaign at home for his country at the Davis Cup. However, the conditions at Manchester and Zhuhai were quite different, making the transition tough.

“You know, we came from playing indoors back home where it was quite cold and here it’s very difficult,” said the 3-time Grand Slam champion. He also revealed that the Davis Cup at Manchester was an indoor event since it was quite cold. However, Zhuhai proved that it was in stark contrast to Manchester, with its outdoor matches and high humidity.

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The Briton has not played in China for nearly four years. Ever since his fall in the rankings following his hip surgery, Murray has been battling against himself to become the player he was before the surgery. However, on his road to a comeback, Murray has not played in China for a very long time now. However, his return has not been as strong as he expected. With unfavorable conditions, the former World No.1 is completely out of breath during matches.

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Nevertheless, he won the first match against Ye Cong Mo. He is set to face Aslan Karatsev in the second round of the tournament. They will both need to play their best tennis in order to emerge victorious over the other.

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Andy Murray wins the first round at Zhuhai

3-time Grand Slam champion commemorates his return to China after nearly four years with a first-round victory over Ye Cong Mo. Mo had entered the tournament as a wildcard entry.

While the Briton was left utterly breathless and unable to play more in the first round, he ultimately won the match. He is now set to face Russia’s Aslan Karatsev in the second round of the tournament.

Andy Murray 2
Andy Murray (Image via The Indian Express)

Mo was quite the easy opponent for the veteran Briton at a World rank of 668. However, Karatsev will be quite a tough foe for Murray. The Russian has achieved a career-high ranking of World No.14. He also holds an Olympic silver medal in the mixed doubles category.

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