Andy Murray has always been an impressive performer on a doubles court and he has picked an intriguing partner to team up with in his first event of the new season.
Murray was a silver medalist in the mixed doubles at the 2012 Olympics alongside Laura Robson and he has also pulled off some impressive doubles wins alongside his brother Jamie in Davis Cup matches for Great Britain.
Now he will be looking to start his season with a double success in Brisbane after it was confirmed he will play alongside world No 8 Holger Rune in the doubles event at the ATP 250 tournament.
Rune’s big serves and Murray’s mastery around the net should deliver a potent combination and Andy Murray may well look to doubles if his form in the back end of 2023 continues into the New Year.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Murray suffered a series of morale-sapping defeats over the last 12 months, with his loss in the Paris Masters summing up his agonies on court.
Murray admitted he is not enjoying his tennis after suffering a disappointing defeat to Australian Alex de Minaur in the first round of the tournament in the French capital last month.
Murray had lost all five previous matches against the Australian, including three this season with the most recent coming in Beijing where the Briton failed to convert three match points.
The former world number one looked on course to end that run on Monday after recovering from losing the opening set tie-break to lead 5-2 in the decider.
However, Murray failed to win either of his next two service games – despite having a match point in the second – and the world number 13 prevailed 7-6 (5) 4-6 7-5 in just over three hours.
Andy Murray’s temper boiled over during the final set, knocking the drinks bottles and towel off his bench during a change of ends before he smashed his racket off the floor after the last point.
The disappointing run of form has left the 36-year-old two-time Wimbledon champion questioning what else he has to do to get back to winning ways.
“I’m not really enjoying it just now in terms of how I feel on the court and how I’m playing,” said Murray after that defeat.
“The last five, six months haven’t been that enjoyable, so I need to try and find some of that enjoyment back because playing a match like that there’s not much positivity there.
“When I play a good point, I’m not really getting behind myself and then in the important moments, that will to win and fight has always been quite a big, big part of my game.
“If I want to keep going, I’m going to need a lot of work.
“It’s not just going to be like one or two weeks of training to get me to where I need to get to, it’s going to have to be a lot of work and consistent work to give myself a chance.”
Murray will be eager to start 2024 with a bang and his determination to fight on his career while playing with a metal hip is admirable.
Yet there is only so much agony this dogged Scot can take on court and if he continues to lose matches at a rapid rate at the start of the New Year, he will question whether he can carry on fighting against the odds.
That may be when the prospect of chasing glory on the doubles court could loom large, with the prospect of playing alongside his brother Jamie for one last shot at Wimbledon glory next summer a story that could capture the imagination.
Jamie is a seven-time Grand Slam champion in doubles and the Murray brothers have confirmed they would relish the chance to play together at Wimbledon before they hang up their rackets.
With Jamie accepting a role as tournament director at The Queen’s Club Championship in 2024, he is clearly looking to a future after his time on court comes to an end.
His younger brother is not at that point yet, with Andy clearly believing he has more to offer as a singles player.
Yet the prospect of going out on the ultimate high by winning the Wimbledon doubles title with his brother would have to appeal to two-time Wimbledon singles king Andy.
He is not at the point yet where he needs to make a call over what comes next in his career, but a Murray double act at Wimbledon next summer could be the perfect way for two of the greats of British tennis to bow out.
