Murray delays retirement with extraordinary Olympics win
Andy Murray’s retirement remains on hold after an escape act saw the British icon and Dan Evans fight off five match points to win their Olympics men’s doubles match.
Andy Murray’s retirement remains on hold after an escape act saw the British icon and Dan Evans fight off five match points to win their Olympics men’s doubles match.
Watch the best shots from Rafael Nadal’s 6-1 4-6 6-4 victory over Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics, as the Spaniard sets up a meeting with Novak Djokovic in the second round.
Reigning gold medallist Alexander Zverev has a chance to add his name to the record books of the Olympic Tennis Event as seeks to successfully defend his Tokyo title. Only Andy Murray has achieved this feat (2012, 2016).
Ahead of his quest for history, ATPTour.com caught up with the 27-year-old to learn where he keeps his prized Tokyo medal, who his favourite Olympic athlete is and how that ties in with his earliest memory from the event.
[ATP APP]
What other Olympic sport do you think you would be good at?
We had this discussion [with my team], a funny question, ‘Which Olympic sport do you think you can compete in and not get last?’ I think I would get last in every single sport, I honestly do. I think if it’s a team competition like hockey or field hockey or basketball or something, I could hide behind some players. Maybe I could sit on the bench doing quite well. I think there’s no chance at all. I mean, I enjoy basketball. I enjoy field hockey. I enjoy a lot of sports, but I would be atrocious in all of them I think.
I’m actually quite okay at middle distances like 400m running. So I think I will be okay at it, but I will still be dead last. But I guess I’m okay for a tennis player, let’s put it that way.
For which Olympic sports would you be not well suited?
The obvious ones are maybe skateboarding. I think swimming, I’m not a great swimmer, something like that. Skateboarding would not be great.
Who are your favourite Olympic athletes?
Usain Bolt comes to mind. Fastest man alive, right? So you love watching that. Matthias Steiner for me as a German and also a diabetic, so that has something close to my heart.
Which Olympic sport is Germany best at?
Equestrian. I think we win 85 gold medals every year there, so I think that one.
What is your earliest Olympic memory?
For me the earliest one is Bolt in 2008 in Beijing, setting the new world record.
What did it mean to you to win gold in 2021?
For me, the Olympics are still the biggest sporting event in the world. So there’s nothing bigger than winning a gold medal I think for your country, for yourself and for everybody back at home. I think it’s an experience that you can’t feel anywhere else.
How much fun was the Olympic village?
It was awesome. It was great fun just being out with your athletes, just seeing other athletes that you watch on TV just walking around having food at the same restaurant as you and just mingling, just being around everybody.
Where do you keep the gold medal?
In my apartment in Monaco. It’s in the living room area.
Rafael Nadal sets up a tantalising second-round contest with Novak Djokovic at Paris 2024 after coming through his opening Olympics singles match.
British No. 1 Cameron Norrie is making his Olympics debut in Paris. The 28-year-old, who grew up in New Zealand and began representing Great Britain in 2013, has won five ATP Tour titles and been as high as No. 8 in the PIF ATP Rankings..
Ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Norrie sat down with ATPTour.com to discuss his earliest memories of the prestigious event, the athletes he considers his favourites and much more.
[ATP APP]
What other sport do you think you would be good at?
I think there could be a few, but I would like to play rugby sevens. I love rugby and I love watching the sevens. It’s recent, but I always enjoy watching track and field. I’m a pretty good runner, so I think I could enter the 5k or 10k, but I’d get smoked.
What sport do you think you would not be well suited?
It’s probably a lot of them. I think javelin or one of those ones like that could be all right, but it’s difficult. Fencing or something like that.
Who are your favourite Olympic athletes?
I like Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt.
What sport is Great Britain best known for?
Tennis, with Andy. They’re good at everything. Swimming, athletics, they always have good athletes throughout. But I remember actually as a kid growing up in New Zealand watching a lot of rowing, because New Zealand is always really good at rowing. I also enjoy watching the swimming. I know the Aussies are good at swimming.
What are your earliest memories of the Olympics?
It was in New Zealand. I can’t remember watching which one specifically, but every time, I was watching all day, everything. I love sports in general. I don’t know where or what it was, but I was watching everything.
What do you think will be the best part about the Olympic Village?
I’ve never been so it’s going to be my first one. I’m looking forward to just seeing the other athletes, how they do things given the chance to ask some of the other British team members some questions about some of their routines and and just getting to know some of the other athletes and getting to see how nervous they are for the for the Olympic sports because for tennis we have a lot of other big tournaments and I think for a lot of other sports, it’s the biggest thing and they’re going to be so nervous for it.
So I think it’s good insight and good to support some of the other sports. I’m looking forward to it and I think Paris should do a good job.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Across his iconic career, Andy Murray grew from a boisterous, rising Scottish star to an ever-present, grizzled veteran and legend of the ATP Tour. In that time, the 37-year-old developed all manner of Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalries — some with older competitors, some with younger foes, and many with his contemporaries.
Murray’s biggest rivals were no doubt his fellow members of the Big 4: Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Murray has met each of those superstars at least 24 times, including 36 meetings with Djokovic.
ATPTour.com looks back at the history of those matchups and another pivotal series, against Stan Wawrinka, that shaped the story of Murray’s competitive career.
[ATP APP]Murray vs. Djokovic (Lexus ATP Head2Head: 11-25)
Murray and Djokovic are contemporaries in the most literal sense, with Murray just one week older than the Serbian. Their long-running rivalry was sparked at the ATP Masters 1000 level, where nine of their first 10 Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings took place (including the first seven from 2006-09).
Murray lost their first four matchups but then won the first two of what would ultimately become 19 final meetings between the pair, triumphing in Cincinnati and Miami before Djokovic won their maiden Grand Slam showdown in the 2011 Australian Open final.
While Djokovic enjoyed the lion’s share of success in this rivalry, Murray claimed three straight matches from 2008-09 (including those Cincinnati and Miami finals) and two straight matches in 2012: their Olympic semi-final en route to the gold medal in London, followed by a five-set US Open final that earned him his first major crown. Those are the only two stretches during which the Briton won consecutive matches against Djokovic.
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Murray defeated Djokovic to win his first Wimbledon title in 2013. Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images.
Two of the most significant match wins of Murray’s career came against Djokovic, whom he beat to claim his maiden Wimbledon crown in 2013 and in the championship match at the 2016 Nitto ATP Finals (then known as the ATP World Tour Finals). The latter, played in London, was a straight shootout for year-end No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
“It’s a very special day,” Murray said after a 6-3, 6-4 win at the 2016 season finale saw him end the year on a 24-match winning streak. “It’s been a tough rivalry [with Djokovic]. I’ve lost many of them but obviously I’m happy I’ve got the win today. To finish the year No. 1 is very special. It’s something I never expected.”
The pair met five times in 2016, all in finals, with Murray also winning in Rome but Djokovic taking the titles at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and in Madrid.
Murray and Djokovic are one of only two pairs of ATP Tour players to have contested the final at each of the four majors (also Djokovic and Nadal). The Serbian owns an 8-2 record against Murray at the Slams, including a 5-2 mark in major finals.
Djokovic also owns an 11-8 edge in tour-level finals and a 14-6 advantage at the ATP Masters 1000s. But he never beat Murray on grass, where the Briton is a perfect 2-0.
Their rivalry was always one built on mutual respect, as evidenced by their teaming up in men’s doubles for the 2006 Australian Open when both were 19.
Murray vs. Federer (Lexus ATP Head2Head: 11-14)
Murray led Federer for much of their rivalry, until the Swiss won their final five meetings to finish with the upper hand. Murray owns a 6-3 edge at the ATP Masters 1000s, including consecutive 2010 final victories in Toronto and Shanghai, while Federer dominated with a 5-1 record at the majors.
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Murray beat Federer in the 2010 Rolex Shanghai Masters final. Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images.
Murray’s Grand Slam frustration against the Swiss came to a head in the 2012 Wimbledon final, when he lost in four sets despite a brilliant start on home soil. “I’m getting closer,” he said through tears during the trophy ceremony, a remark which could have applied to his bid to beat Federer at a major as much as the Briton’s personal quest to win his home Grand Slam. To that point, Murray was 0-3 against the Swiss at the Slams, with each meeting coming in the title round.
But one month later, back on Centre Court, Murray dominated Federer in a straight-sets win to claim the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
“It’s number one for me, the biggest win of my life,” Murray said. “I have had a lot of tough losses in my career and this is the best way to come back from the Wimbledon final.”
The confidence from that victory helped the Briton get over the line at the All England Club the next year, when he beat Djokovic to become the first British man to win the Wimbledon singles title since Fred Perry in 1936.
Murray and Federer also played five times at the Nitto ATP Finals, with Murray earning a comeback three-set win in 2008 before Federer swept their meetings in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2014. All but one of those year-end meetings came in the round-robin stage, with their 2012 semi-final in London the lone exception.
Beginning with the 2009 season finale, seven of their last 16 matches were played in London.
Murray vs. Nadal (Lexus ATP Head2Head: 7-17)
Murray lost his first five meetings with Nadal but broke his duck in the 2008 US Open semi-finals to reach his first Grand Slam final. Despite trailing in the Lexus ATP Head2Head, Murray owned a 3-1 edge in tour-level finals against Nadal, claiming wins in Rotterdam (2009), Tokyo (2011) and Madrid (2015).
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Murray and Nadal after their 2009 Rotterdam title match. Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images.
The rivalry peaked in 2011 with five meetings on some of the ATP Tour’s biggest stages. Nadal won the first four — semi-finals at Monte-Carlo, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open — before Murray flipped the script in the Tokyo final.
Nadal owned an 8-3 edge at the ATP Masters 1000s and a 7-2 advantage at the majors. The pair played just one five-set match: their very first meeting at the 2007 Australian Open, where Nadal grinded out a win from two-sets-to-one down. The Spaniard was also 2-0 against Murray at the Nitto ATP Finals, with a semi-final win in 2010 and a round-robin victory in 2015.
Their 2010 meeting at the year-end event was one of the most dramatic of their 24 encounters, a 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(6) win for Nadal. After three hours, 11 minutes of incredible quality in London, Nadal clawed back a 1/4 deficit in the decisive tie-break to advance to the title match.
“It was a great match,” Murray said, his head held high in defeat. “Today is why I play tennis. I probably played one bad game the whole match, or maybe just a couple of bad points. Whether it’s the best match I played and lost, I don’t know.”
Murray vs. Wawrinka (Lexus ATP Head2Head: 13-10)
Both three-time Grand Slam champions, Murray and Wawrinka are separated by just two years in age, with the Swiss 26 months older. The pair’s rivalry spanned 20 years on the ATP Tour, from 2005-24.
Their clashes often showcased contrasting styles, pitting Wawrinka’s aggressive shotmaking and sheer power against Murray’s tactical precision and defensive prowess. These different approaches added an intriguing dynamic to their encounters, a compelling narrative across the game’s biggest stages.
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Murray and Wawrinka met for the final time at Roland Garros in 2024. Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images.
Murray won the only two finals he contested against Wawrinka, one at the start of their rivalry (Doha 2008) and one nearer the end (Antwerp 2019). The Antwerp title was the Briton’s last on the ATP Tour, coming after his hip resurfacing surgery.
“It means a lot,” an emotional Murray said. “The last few years have been extremely difficult. Me and Stan have had a lot of injury problems in the last couple of years. Amazing to be back playing against him in a final like that.”
The contemporaries met at every Grand Slam but the Australian Open, with Wawrinka owning a 5-3 edge at the Slams. They split two of their highest-stakes matches in consecutive Roland Garros semi-finals in 2016 and 2017. It was an even 3-3 split at the ATP Masters 1000s, with four of those matchups going three sets.
In 2023, their rivalry even extended to the ATP Challenger Tour, with Wawrinka beating Murray in the first meeting between former Grand Slam champions in more than 40 years.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Jordan Thompson advanced to the fourth tour-level final of his career Saturday at the Atlanta Open, where he overcame #NextGenATP 19-year-old Shang Juncheng 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
Should the Australian go one step further and claim his second tour-level title — after his Los Cabos triumph in in February — the 30-year-old would enter the Top 30 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time in his career.
“I served really well today. I only was broken one time, held off a couple of games. I felt like my serve really kept me in it,” said Thompson, who struck 13 aces and made 75 per cent of his first serves, compared to Shang’s 61 per cent, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
[ATP APP]The fourth seed found great success when serving to Shang’s body, making it difficult for the lefty to attack early in rallies. Thompson was rock solid from the baseline throughout the two-hour, 21-minute match, easily transitioning from defence to offence and remaining the more consistent player in the latter stages of the match.
The Sydney native yesterday survived the longest match in Atlanta tournament history, a three-hour, three-minute marathon against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Despite the short recovery, Thompson quickly rebounded to avenge this year’s Indian Wells loss to Shang and level their Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 1-1.
“I don’t know how I recovered from yesterday, but I showed some fight,” Thompson said.
The Aussie will face Yoshihito Nishioka or Arthur Rinderknech in Sunday’s final.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Battling back from behind for much of the match, Francisco Cerundolo earned his third ATP Tour title by fending off constant pressure from Lorenzo Musetti in Saturday’s Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag final.
In a 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) victory, the Argentine stopped his opponent from serving out the match at 5-4 in the third set and then roared back from 1/3 in the decisive tie-break, winning five straight points to take command of the match for the first time. On his third match point, a forehand volley winner sent Cerundolo onto the European clay on his back in celebration.
“It was an unreal battle,” Cerundolo said after beating the Wimbledon semi-finalist, who is now 15-4 since the start of the grass season. “Lorenzo has played super great tennis the last month. He probably is one of the players who won the most matches on Tour so I knew it was going to be really tough tonight.
“I don’t know how I came back. I fought until the last point and luckily I won the match. I’m super proud because it was a really tough battle.”
Frantastic Francisco 🏆⚡️⭐️@FranCerundolo takes the win over Musetti 6-2 4-6 7-6(5) @CroatiaOpenUmag | #CroatiaOpenUmag pic.twitter.com/TvSamaAKAm
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 27, 2024
The 25-year-old will move up 11 places to No. 25 in the PIF ATP Rankings behind his title run, seven spots off his career high of No. 19 in 2023.
By improving to 3-2 in tour-level finals, Cerundolo claimed his third title in as many years following triumphs in Bastad in 2022 and last year in Eastbourne. He is the third ATP Tour champion this season to defeat both of the top two seeds en route to the title, having beaten top seed Andrey Rublev in the semis.
Cerundolo found the range on his explosive forehand in the second set but was pushed to the limit in nearly every service game in set three. After saving six break points in the deciding set, he could not stop Musetti from taking his seventh chance to build a 5-4 lead. But he swiftly broke back by taking his lone break chance of the set, then put on an attacking masterclass in the tie-break to claim the title.
“I didn’t know what to do at the beginning,” said Cerundolo, who did not create a break point in the first set, according to Infosys ATP Stats. “I wasn’t playing too aggressive. I was letting him play really comfortable and I was feeling really bad on court, like there wasn’t any chance to win. After that I got a lot of confidence and started playing better. After that I think it was a really good match.”
It was Cerundolo’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head win against Musetti, who won their lone previous meeting in the 2022 Hamburg semi-finals. Both players will now face quick turnarounds before competing in the Paris Olympics on Sunday.
“Both of us, we have to play tomorrow night,” Cerundolo said. “I don’t know how we’re going to do it. I’m tired, I don’t know how he is. But tomorrow is going to be really difficult for both of us because we’re not going to sleep tonight, probably two, three hours because we have an early flight tomorrow.
“Arrive there, get a warm-up… and get on court. Me and him, probably we’re going to leave everything tomorrow for our country. I want to play the Olympics really bad. I will get some energy from nowhere and try to do my best tomorrow.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Watch the best shots from Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz in their match against Argentina on day one of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal made a roaring start to their much-anticipated doubles debut Saturday at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where the Spanish duo ousted sixth-seeded Argentines Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 7-6(4), 6-4 to reach the second round.
Alcaraz, who began the day with a singles victory in his Olympics debut, made a nervy start, dropping serve in the opening game and needing to fend off two break points in his second service game. But it was the more experienced 38-year-old Nadal, in his fourth Olympics appearance, who helped settle the team with banana-curling forehand winners and lightning-fast reflexes at net.
Both wearing Spanish red shirts and white shorts, Alcaraz and Nadal resorted to a ‘two back’ strategy on return, with the lefty Nadal returning on the deuce side. Alcaraz and Nadal then looked for early opportunities to use angles and work their way forward to seize control of rallies. They gained a mini-break advantage at 3/3 in the opening-set tie-break, when Alcaraz blasted a forehand that clipped the net cord and deflected off Gonzalez’s racquet frame.
[ATP APP]Alcaraz and Nadal trailed 0-3 in the second set, before tallying three consecutive games and building upon their momentum, earning a crucial break at 4-4. The 92-time tour-level titlist Nadal then served out the match, accompanied by fans chanting, “Rafa! Rafa!” under the Court-Philippe Chatrier roof.
Nadal, a two-time gold medallist (2008 Beijing singles, 2016 Rio doubles w/ Marc Lopez), played the entirety of the one-hour, 47-minute match with his upper right leg taped, but the lefty showed no signs of hindered movement.
Up next for the pair of former World No. 1’s in the PIF ATP Rankings are Dutchmen Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof or Hungarians Marton Fucsovics and Fabian Marozsan. Fucsovics is Nadal’s first-round singles opponent.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]What do we say in unison?! 🦻👇#Paris2024 #tennis pic.twitter.com/P9JmRe9Ku6
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 27, 2024