That is the question on the lips of British tennis fans everywhere, after the Scotsman’s stunning showing at the Qatar Open. Andy Murray, now aged 35, came through a quartet of three-set encounters to reach the finals of the Qatar Open. He battled hard in the final but eventually succumbed to Daniil Medvedev.
Despite the disappointment of missing out on another ATP Tour title, Murray could take plenty of heart from his showing in the Middle East. His early-season 2023 form has been strong, with former Wimbledon champion Boris Becker describing Murray as “simply incredible”. Murray’s physical and mental fortitude is certainly a sight to behold. The Dunblane-born ace may have a metal hip, but he is starting to move and groove from the baseline as well as he did eight-to-ten years ago.
Murray’s still capable of grinding it out when needed
Sure, it’s by no means been a cakewalk to reach peak fitness post-surgery, but Murray is starting to reap the rewards of his efforts. He has always been a clutch player, but in recent weeks Murray has taken that to the extreme. In six deciding-set wins so far this season, three of these have seen Murray face match points against him.
That commitment does come at a cost, though. His deep run in Qatar meant Murray was forced to withdraw from the Dubai Tennis Championships, with the Scotsman becoming increasingly selective about the tournaments he enters. He wasn’t part of the 2022 Davis Cup team for Great Britain either. One tournament he will undoubtedly have an eye on already is Wimbledon. Grass remains Murray’s favourite surface and with another three-plus months of competitive action in the bank, Becker believes he will be “on a good level” to shine at SW19.
After reaching the Qatar Open final in Doha, Murray’s world ranking shot up to 52nd. The world’s top 112 players in the men’s and women’s rankings automatically qualify for the first round at Wimbledon. The remaining players will have to enter through the three-round qualification tournament or secure a wild card entry. This means, barring a major catastrophe, Murray will almost certainly get entry into Wimbledon this summer.
There is no doubt that the tennis betting interest hots up as the world’s top stars roll into the English capital at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. Wimbledon is still regarded by many as the sport’s most iconic tournament, given its heritage and tradition. Although Serbian icon Novak Djokovic is the standout candidate to win yet another Grand Slam title, Murray is lurking in the shadows.
Priced at 40/1 to win this year’s Wimbledon title, Murray is currently the 14th-shortest price in the betting markets, which suggests that most tennis traders believe he can at least make a run to the last 16. Much will depend on how kind the draw is to him.
If he is placed in the wrong half of the draw, he could come up against the likes of Djokovic, Matteo Berrettini or Daniil Medvedev sooner than he might want. If he can go deep or even win another ATP title between now and July, Murray could even break inside the top 32 and secure a seeding at SW19.
Murray will be a dangerous opponent for anyone at Wimbledon as the fire is well and truly lit
When Murray won Olympic gold in Rio in 2016, the women’s gold medallist was Monica Puig. She said recently that the Scotsman can still “be a force to be reckoned with”. Puig says Murray’s stunning run at the Australian Open “fuelled that fire” and gave him the confidence to build on his hard court results in Qatar.
After his final loss in Doha, Murray insisted he still harboured “ambitions of winning tournaments”, as well as “deep runs in major events”. Murray’s ability to continue to set motivating goals and eke out every last drop of potential from his body should be an inspiration to anyone starting out on their professional tennis journey.
Puig says that Murray seems to have “something to prove” in every big game he plays, simply because of the number of times “people have counted him out”. Murray recently revealed that a hip specialist said he wouldn’t play professional tennis again in 2017, but six years later he is back with a bang and ready to tackle the rest of the season head on.
