Tennis News

Back in 2007, a 20-year-old Andrew Murray stepped out on court in Flushing Meadows to challenge Jonas Bjorkman, who was playing his penultimate season on the ATP World Tour. The two contested a thrilling five-set affair that saw Murray prevail 6-1 in the fifth.

Now, eight years later, Bjorkman wants Murray to find that aggression in his game once again, only with a few modern adaptations to his style as well.

“When I lost to him in the US Open when he was young, I think he was more aggressive at the time,” Bjorkman explained to The Tennis Podcast (transcript via The Telegraph).“But the game has changed, everything has changed. Hopefully together with Amelie [Mauresmo] we can work our way to a position where he will feel more comfortable. When you have your position right, you will hit better volleys. So it is all about coming in a little bit more and that was something I always tried myself. I didn’t have big weapons from the baseline so I had to chase the net as soon as I could.”

Ranked No. 3 on the ATP World Tour, Andy Murray compiled a 15-1 record on clay this season, which included two title wins in Munich and Madrid before he reached the semi-final stage at Roland Garros. There, he lost to Novak Djokovic in five sets during a match that was played over two days. Now, with Joras Bjorkman by his side, Murray will attempt to recapture his former glory on grass and carry his current momentum and form forward.

“It’s quite easy because with Andy he has so many big weapons, such a huge game, and he is so professional on and off the court,” said Bjorkman, who has not coached on the tour before.”You get very inspired as well, being part of this team.”

Murray himself has grown in confidence, as he believes he has regained the form that helped him win Major championships back in 2012-13 before his surgery.

“From the beginning of this year I’ve felt ready to win major competitions again,” said Murray, who was searching for his best form in 2014 following back surgery. “It’s been huge, huge progress from where I was this time last year. I’ve played extremely well so far this year so I have to be happy about that.”

Andy Murray’s 2015 grass court campaign will commence with a contest against a player whom he faced during his historic run to the Wimbledon Championships crown back in 2013: Yen Hsun Lu. During that time, Murray was an unstoppable sensation on grass – a motivational force on a one-track course to capture the title denied to Brits for over seven decades. However, this time around, all eyes will be on the Scot as he attempts to follow up on an impressive clay court season. Of their three previous meetings on the professional tour, Murray leads the head-to-head series 2-1.

Ranked No. 3 on the ATP World Tour, Andy Murray compiled a 15-1 record on clay this season, which included two title wins in Munich and Madrid before he reached the semi-final stage at Roland Garros. There, he lost to Novak Djokovic in five sets during a match that was played over two days. Now, with Joras Bjorkman by his side, Murray will attempt to recapture his former glory on grass and carry his current momentum and form forward.

“From the beginning of this year I’ve felt ready to win major competitions again,” said Murray, who was searching for his best form in 2014 following back surgery. “It’s been huge, huge progress from where I was this time last year. I’ve played extremely well so far this year so I have to be happy about that.”

Murray’s upcoming opponent Yen Hsun Lu has already played three matches on grass so far this season, including two wins in the qualifying round here at Queen’s Club. Prior to that, he lost his opening match on the surface this season when Adrian Mannarino at the TopShelf Open ousted him.

This marks the fourth time that Murray and Lu will meet on the professional tour but also the first time since the 2013 Wimbledon Championships. Murray leads the head-to-head series 2-1 and has not lost a match to Lu since 2008. Given that he is the stronger and more comfortable player on this surface, Murray should be able to work his way into the second round of the tournament.
 

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal and Alexandr Dolgopolov with cross paths once again on the professional tour in what is scheduled to be their sixth meeting to date. The Nadal vs Dolgopolov head-to-head stands at 5-1, yet they have not met since the Indian Wells tournament, which took place last season.

After losing just his second match ever at the French Open last week, Rafael Nadal fought valiantly all week in Stuttgart to arrive in a final against Viktor Troicki. While he needed three sets at various points throughout the week, he managed to claim the title following a straight sets victory. He won the match 7-6(3), 6-3 to earn his third title at the Mercedes Cup. It was his first title on grass since the 2010 Wimbledon Championships.

“It’s a very special title,” said Nadal. “Since 2011 I didn’t play a final on grass, so win a title here is very good news for my game and for my mentality too. Congrats to Viktor for a great tournament. He’s playing great and will have some positives for the week.

“At this point of the season, every victory is important and every title means a lot to me. I’m happy for that… Thank you very much for all the support here in Stuttgart.”

Nadal will come up against Alexandr Dolgopolov, who is coming off a opening round loss to Philipp Kohlschreiber at the Mercedes Cup.

This marks the sixth time these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with Nadal leading the series with a 5-1 score. The first and last wins came on clay, while the remaining ones took place on hard courts. However, Dolgopolov actually won their most recent encounter at Indian Wells. While this may be the case, Dolgopolov is not as capable on grass courts and will likely not put up the same fight here.
 

In his first grass court match of the season, Roger Federer will come up against Philipp Kohlschreiber for the ninth time on the professional tour and leads the series with a perfect 8-0 head to head record against the German. Their last meeting on the tour took place at the Paris Masters in 2013 and he holds three wins against Kohlschreiber at Halle already.

Following a solid clay court showing, which ended with a quarter-final round of the French Open after a loss to eventual champ Stan Wawrinka. He will now look to secure an eighth title in Halle ahead of the Wimbledon Championships at the end of the month.

“I’ve been playing great for the last 12 months,” he said. “I had the feeling that everything went well after I played at Halle last year, except in Australia where it didn’t go so well. But I was confident everywhere else, so I hope I can play well here.”

“Of course at this stage of my career I want to have the perfect preparation for Wimbledon,” said Federer. “That means a victory here. I want to defend the title in a tough field of competitors. That’s exactly what I need right now.

Unlike his upcoming opponent, Kohlschreiber is coming off a week on grass already, as he performed at the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, where he lost to Gael Monfils in the quarter-final stage of the tournament.

In all eight of their previous meetings, Kohlschreiber has only taken a set or more off Federer on one occasion: the 2009 Wimbledon Championships, where they went four thrilling sets. While Kohlschreiber has had more practice on the grass court surface so far this season, Federer should have little trouble working his way into the second round of the tournament.

An exciting contest between Lleyton Hewitt and Kevin Anderson takes place in the opening round of the Queen’s Club tournament in London. This marks the third time they meet on the ATP World Tour, with the series tied at 1-1. Anderson won their most recent encounter during last year’s Indian Wells Masters event.

Currently on a four-match losing streak, Lleyton Hewitt has played selective tournaments this season. Following his loss at the Australian Open, he suffered opening round losses in Miami, Houston and most recently at the Topshelf Open. He will look to snap that streak when he moves to a tournament he has historically performed well in.

“I’m definitely a dangerous floater,” Hewitt told News Corp. “The biggest thing is to get as many balls back as possible, put some kind of pressure on him. Obviously it’s going to be a bit greasy out here for the first couple of days. If you’re not 100 per cent sure of your footing on this surface, it can be a little bit detrimental to your game. Every match is going to be bloody tough here with the quality of field. Even if a seed loses there’ll be a quality player coming through that section — no easy matches.”

Unlike his upcoming opponent, Kevin Anderson has played an entire clay court season and is coming off a third round loss to Richard Gasquet at the French Open. His opening round match in London will be his first grass court contest of the season.

This marks the third time that Hewitt and Anderson meet on the ATP World Tour, with head-to-head series tied 1-1. Hewitt won their first meeting in Stockholm in 2012, while Anderson won their most recent encounter during last year’s Indian Wells Masters event. It will be interesting to see who holds the advantage this week in London event, as it will be their first ever meeting on grass, which is Hewitt’s favourite surface. Anderson has all the physical traits required to defeat Hewitt and he should be considered the favorite for tomorrow’s match-up.