As his frustrating results dimmed his hope throughout this season, Andy Murray has repeatedly indicated this year that he is unlikely to extend his career past the summer tournaments. Finally, summer has arrived and Murray returned to Queen’s at the beginning of possibly the final grass-court season of his career with a solid win, producing a strong performance to defeat Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the first round.
Murray’s victory over Popyrin marks his 1,000th ATP match, a milestone that only four other active players have achieved and an indication of his enduring longevity despite his physical issues. It is also Murray’s first ATP match win since he injured his ankle at the Miami Open in March. Asked how he was feeling physically, Murray noted, with a smile, that he has felt better.
“I didn’t realise, my mum told me it’s my 1,000th match on tour,” he said. “A lot of matches and a lot of wear and tear on the body. It’s not easy, but I’m pushing through it.”
The five-times Queen’s champion will face Jordan Thompson of Australia in the second round after the Australian upset Holger Rune, the seventh seed.
Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning champion at Queen’s and Wimbledon and the newly crowned French Open champion, began his grass court season with a 6-1, 7-5 win over Francisco Cerundolo. He will face an enormous test against Jack Draper, the new British No 1 and Stuttgart champion, who defeated Mariano Navone 6-3, 6-2 in 54 minutes to reach the second round.
While Murray continues to deliberate over his future, the lead-up to Queen’s served as a helpful illustration of why he seemingly remains unsure of his future. Murray and Alcaraz, the top seed, completed their preparations for the tournament on Monday by playing points. As their court time came to an end, an excellent Murray finished with a 5-3 lead over the French Open champion.
“It’s cool for me to get a chance to play for this newer generation and see what do they do better or worse or differently to the guys that I competed against my whole career,” Murray said. “I really enjoyed it. And, yeah, I played very well.”
The 37-year-old may still be physically capable of playing a high level of tennis, doing so under match pressure has been extremely difficult all year. Injuries have not helped. Just as he started to find his form after a torrid start to the year, he suffered a significant ankle injury at the Miami Open in March and he was forced off the tour for over a month. Murray was determined to enjoy one more clay season but the surface has always been unkind to him and he struggled with his back as he lost to Stan Wawrinka in straight sets at the French Open.
Back on Murray’s favoured grass courts, where the ball bounces lower and the faster conditions provide his strokes with more potency, the five-times Queen’s champion was sharp from the beginning. He served effectively, moving well enough behind the baseline and he put the ball in difficult positions as he neutralised the tall Australian’s serve.
But as is often the case against strong servers on grass, a distracted start to the second set was enough to take him to a decider. Murray also seemed to have some discomfort in his back during the second set.
No matter, he responded immediately. After holding serve, he opened the final set with an excellent return game that ended with him slipping an incredible angled forehand return past Popyrin as the Australian attempted to serve and volley, then he drew Popyrin into the net with a short backhand slice before a slipping a backhand passing shot winner. With the break secured, he served efficiently until the end.
Meanwhile, a tearful Dan Evans was forced to retire from his first round match against Brandon Nakashima with the score tied at 6-4, 3-6 after slipping behind the baseline and hurting his knee. Evans now faces a nervous wait as he undergoes tests to see the significance of the injury. “I’m heartbroken at the minute, to be honest,” he said. “Yeah, it’s tough.”
Evans is the latest in a growing list of casualties in the first couple of days at Queen’s. Frances Tiafoe was also forced to retire after slipping on the courts and Thanasi Kokkinakis also withdrew from the qualifying draw after slipping in his first qualifying match.
In Birmingham, Katie Boulter was unable to follow up her brilliant title defence in Nottingham with another strong run as she also retired from her first round match due to illness while trailing Anhelina Kalinina 3-6.
