Tennis Star Andy Murray Warms Up In Winston-Salem

Former world number one tennis player Andy Murray took to the practice courts at the Winston-Salem Open Sunday. The 32-year old underwent his second hip surgery earlier this year and is attempting a comeback.  

After a quick exit at the Cincinnati Masters last week, where he lost in the first round to Frenchman Richard Gasquet, Murray announced he won't play in the U.S. Open in New York. Instead, the British star from Scotland says he's determined to get in more matches to prepare for the beginning of 2020. Smaller tournaments like the Winston-Salem Open provide that opportunity. 

Just six months ago, after years of intense pain, Murray announced his imminent retirement during a tearful press conference at the Australian Open. But he says the successful hip resurfacing surgery and words of encouragement have been key to his recovery.

“The guy that I hit with today, Andrey Rublev, after I'd spoken in Australia for the first time, he was one of the first guys I bumped into in the locker room,” says Murray. “And I didn't know him unbelievably well. And he just came up and gave me like a huge hug and told me like, keep trying, keep fighting. And you know those, they're like little things, but at that time, it helps.”  

Murray's first match takes place Monday night where he'll face American Tennys Sandgren. He describes his expectations going into the match as “pretty low.”

“Hopefully, I can get more than one match in this week,” says Murray. “That's my goal, to try and win my first singles match since coming back from the surgery. I'm not really thinking about winning events like this just now. I'm just trying to get matches. I'm hoping by the end of this year I'll start to get back to maybe the best I will be for the future. But the first few tournaments back after such a long period [Murray missed 210 days post-surgery] I'm just going to try and get through some matches and hopefully my body holds up well, and with each match I'll feel better and gain confidence.”

Murray, a three-time Grand Slam tournament winner, two-time Olympic champion, Davis Cup champion, and winner of the 2016 ATP World Tour Finals, accepted a wild card into the tournament and is currently ranked 329 in the world. 

The 2019 Winston-Salem Open runs through August 24 at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex.