British tennis player Andy Murray has never won the Citi Open in Washington. Andy’s best result is reaching the final in 2006, when he lost to Frenchman Arnaud Clement. Murray, 36, will also play in Washington this year. In the 1/16 final, Andy will face American Brandon Nakashima, and if he succeeds, it’s very likely that he’ll face top seed Taylor Fritz in the tournament.
Most likely, now the number 44 racket in the world, Murray will not be able to take the title in Washington this season and until the end of his career. Of the competition in the US capital, Andy has mostly negative memories. Not just for the result. In 2018, Murray, who returned to action after a serious injury, was faced with quite a rude attitude from the organizers who did not show due respect for the legendary tennis player.
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Murray faces a challenging schedule in Washington
Andy Murray is the best tennis player of the last few decades, if you take out the Big Three in the person of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The Briton has won 46 ATP titles, including three Grand Slam tournaments (US Open – 2012, Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016). Murray has twice won Olympic gold medals, something no one in history has achieved in singles. For a while, Andy turned the trio into the Big Four and outscored Federer, Nadal and Djokovic for a decent amount of time: he spent 41 weeks at the top of the ATP rankings. For his services in tennis, Murray was knighted in 2016 by decree of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.
Murray’s dominance in the second half of the last decade was interrupted by injuries. Andy was unable to defend his title at Wimbledon 2017, losing in the quarterfinals to American Sam Querrey. After that, he did not go on the court for a long time due to damage to the hip joint. The return came in June 2018, when Andy played in the London and Eastbourne grass tournaments, but failed to make it past the second round. Murray missed Wimbledon and then fell back to 839th in the ATP rankings.
Andy Murray in Washington DC 2018
Photo: Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
A truly complete comeback from Murray could be seen at the Citi Open tournament in Washington. In the first round, Andy defeated the American Mackenzie McDonald (3:6, 6:4, 7:5). It was his first game on hard court since last spring and an immediate labor victory. The Brit served for the match at 5:4 and had five match points, but missed them and allowed the opponent to level the score. In the next game, McDonald made an unforced error at 30:30, Murray made a break, and on second down and seventh match point he claimed victory. The match lasted 2 hours and 37 minutes and ended on July 31 at 0:46 local time.
The tournament in Washington has a tight schedule. The seeded winner spends five games in seven days, the unseeded winner six. Already on August 1 at lunchtime, Murray entered the field to face his compatriot Kyle Edmund, whom he had lost in Eastbourne a few weeks earlier immediately after the comeback. For Andy, who survived the painful recovery, it was a great burden. However, Murray won again in three sets: 7:6, 1:6, 6:4. The duration of the meeting is 2 hours 34 minutes. For the first time since hip surgery, Andy earned two wins in a row. The tennis player noticed progress in his game.
“In terms of the game, this match was better than the first. In the first, I was on the defensive all the time, playing far behind the baseline. I don’t want to play like this anymore. Coach and I discussed this for a long time. And today, regardless of the result, we wanted to at least dictate the course of the draws, use the forehand, be closer to the bottom line. I think I did, especially in the important moments of the third set. I acted more aggressively and I am much more satisfied with the way I approached the match,” Murray said.
On August 2, not quite in the afternoon, but closer to the evening, Murray started the third round match with the Romanian Mariusz Kopil. Once again the game turned out to be tense: 6:7, 6:3, 7:6. The match lasted 3 hours and 2 minutes and ended on August 3 at 3:01 am local time, as the start was delayed due to rain. Andy reached the quarterfinals for the first time since Wimbledon 2017, his last tournament before a nearly year-long hiatus. After the victory, the former racket in the world cried. Partly because of fatigue, but above all because of happiness for the work done.
The moment Murray burst into tears went viral. Perhaps Jelena Djokovic, the wife of his friend and Novak’s main rival, said it best. Elena has been close to Andy himself and his beloved Kim Sears for a long time, so her support is not surprising.
“Go ahead, Andy! This is the love of sports!” – Elena wrote on social networks.
Jelena Djokovic emotionally supported Andy Murray after his comeback
Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Emotions subsided and ultimately Murray had to endure the most difficult schedule. The fact that his game with Kopil ended so late certainly didn’t help the recovery process for the next game.
“You can’t finish the games at three in the morning. This is bad for the players and for everyone involved in the tournament. Bad for the fans, bad for TV, bad for everyone. I don’t think this is reasonable and I’m disappointed. I know the weather makes scheduling difficult. But I found myself in a very difficult position after a long break from acting. I don’t know how much sleep I can get and if I can recover for the quarterfinals,” Murray complained.
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The tournament director in Washington launched a dismissive attack on Murray
Tournament organizers in Washington may well adjust the schedule slightly and give Murray a good rest day, given his status in recent tennis history and recent difficult recovery process from injury. Although morality takes a backseat in a commercial tournament, it’s hard to criticize the Citi Open management too harshly for not wanting to shake up an already busy schedule.
However, the words of the tournament director in Washington, Keely O’Bryan, who urged Murray not to withdraw from the competition and risk his health, accusing him almost directly of being unprofessional if he decides not to enter the court, cannot be refuted. justified.
“Hopefully, Andy will consider his role in the sport and his status as a role model for players and children around the world. When it is difficult and the conditions are not the best, you cannot give up. Of course, if he can’t play due to injury, that’s one thing. But he’s a fighter, he doesn’t give up, and he needs to show it to everyone. I hope we will see Murray on the court in the quarterfinals, and he will fight in the same way as in the match with Kopil. I think this way Andy will send the right message to everyone involved in tennis,” O’Brien said.
Andy, albeit with a bit of humor, made it clear that he didn’t like O’Brian’s words.
“I probably won’t be able to do all of this after the tournament director decided to ‘wash me up,'” Murray wrote on Twitter, adding a laughing emoji.
Andy Murray withdraws from Washington 2018 tournament due to fatigue
Photo: Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
Every last Murray was going to go to trial. He was scheduled to start the quarterfinal match against Australia’s Alex de Minor on the afternoon of August 3, less than 15 hours after beating Kopil. Unfortunately, Andy did not find the strength in himself and starred. He also withdrew from the Toronto Masters, which took place immediately after Washington, so as not to put his health at risk.
“I’m tired. I played a lot in the last four days, although before that I hadn’t played hard for 18 months. After a serious injury, I have to be careful and listen to my body. I can get a lot of good things out of the tournament in Washington, so that now I’m going to take some time to rest and recover, and then I’m going to Cincinnati to prepare for the tournament,” Murray said.
At the official press conference, Murray decided not to mention Keely O’Brian again. But Andy’s fans were not silent, and on Citi Open social media they actively criticized her for showing blatant disrespect towards the legendary tennis player. O’Brian realized that he had gone too far, made a much softer statement of thanks to Murray, and promised to work to fix similar problems in the future.
“We host Murray’s games on Center Court. It was preferred that he play late but in front of more spectators rather than play open court matches at an earlier time. The organizers will take into account the feedback from the players (including Andy) and the fans of the tournament, the changes will be made next year. I want to make sure everyone here has a good experience, whether they’re a fan or a tennis player. This is my first, second, third, fourth priority.
I’m grateful to the incredible champion Andy Murray for coming back to Washington to kick off what we all know will be a great return to the tour. I truly respect Andy’s decision and know that his health and recovery process is a priority. We all wish him much success for the rest of the summer and look forward to his return to Washington next year,” O’Brian said.
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Luckily, although late, the director of the Washington tournament realized that she was wrong. Murray didn’t hold much of a grudge. He was satisfied with his performance at the Citi Open and the very fact of the comeback.
“I love tennis. I’ve been playing it since childhood, and that’s what my professional life is about. I missed it a lot while recovering from the injury, and at that time I had a lot of different thoughts in my head: I was glad that I won, and very tired, because the day was long and the match lasted three hours and I decided only for the last tiebreaker. Everything hurt me, and various thoughts and doubts swarmed in my head. And he didn’t limit himself to sobbing on the court: I had emotions in the dressing room, and then in the room.
Probably these emotions have been building up in me for some time and that’s how they arose. So it became easier for me. In sports, the expression of emotions is often seen as a sign of weakness. It seems that it speaks of your psychological weakness. When you get angry on the court, it is not recommended to show it, because you supposedly show your opponent that you are a wimp. But people often came up to me at tournaments after Washington and told me about this episode,” Murray said.
Andy Murray cries after winning the 2018 Citi Open third round match
Photo: transmission frame.
Murray remained optimistic, but, whatever one may say, he spent too much energy and emotion in Washington. Andy was defeated by Frenchman Luc Puy (1:6, 6:1, 4:6) in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters. And at the US Open, the Briton lost to the Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in the second round (5:7: 6:2, 4:6, 4:6). This match was Murray’s earliest at the Slams in 10 years, since the 2008 Australian Open, when he lost in the first round to future finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Based on the results of the American tournament series, Murray rose to 307th in the ranking. The main thing is that he got back to doing what he loved, playing tennis at a high level. At the beginning of 2019, the athlete underwent another operation on his hip, for an arthroplasty. Doctors gave no guarantees that Andy would be able to return to the pitch, but after five months, the Briton was playing again. Murray resigned himself to the fact that he was no longer a contender for the TBS titles. He simply enjoys the game and by his example he infects others with the love of tennis.
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In September 2019, Andy fell outside the top 500 again, but then consistently improved his position. He returned to the top 100 in February 2022 and hasn’t retired since. After the second comeback, he moved up to a high of 38th, and is now 44th. Murray is 36 now, but he’s not going to stop. The top 30 is an achievable goal for him. In the last Wimbledon, Andy lost in five sets against the fifth racket in the world against the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, thus demonstrating his ability to compete with star players.
Maybe Andy will surprise at the tournament in Washington this year. Winning the title is not worth talking about, but at least to pass Nakashima and surprise Fritz, Murray is theoretically quite capable. The Brit was seeded (No. 15), so his schedule is not as tough as it was in 2018 and his form is much better than it was five years ago.
