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As his disappointing results dampened his hopes this season, Andy Murray has repeatedly indicated this year that he is unlikely to continue his career beyond the summer tournaments. Summer finally arrived and Murray returned to Queen’s at the start of what is likely to be the final grass court season of his career with a solid victory, producing a strong performance to defeat Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the first round .
Murray’s victory over Popyrin marked his 1,000th ATP match, a milestone that only four other active players have achieved and an indication of his enduring longevity despite his physical problems. It is also Murray’s first win in an ATP match since injuring his ankle at the Miami Open in March. Asked how he felt physically, Murray noted with a smile that he felt better.
“I didn’t realise, my mum told me it was my 1,000th game on tour,” he said. “A lot of matches and a lot of wear and tear on the body. It’s not easy, but I can handle it.”
The five-time Queen’s champion will face Australia’s Jordan Thompson in the second round after upsetting Australia’s seventh seed Holger Rohn.
Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning Queen’s and Wimbledon champion and recently crowned French Open champion, began his grass court season with a 6-1, 7-5 win over Francisco Cerundolo. He will face a huge test against Jack Draper, the new British No. 1 and Stuttgart champion, who beat Mariano Navone 6-3, 6-2 in 54 minutes to reach the second round.
As Murray continues to consider his future, the build-up to Queen’s has served as a useful illustration of why he appears to remain uncertain about his future. Murray and Alcaraz, the top seeds, completed their preparations for the tournament on Monday by playing points. When their time on court expired, the excellent Murray finished 5-3 ahead of the French Open champion.
“It’s cool for me to get a chance to play for this newer generation and see what they do better or worse or different with the guys I’ve competed against throughout my career,” Murray said. “I really enjoyed it. And yes, I played very well.”
The 37-year-old may still be physically capable of playing tennis at a high level, doing so under match pressure has been extremely difficult all year. Injuries haven’t helped. Just as he was starting to find his form after a hot start to the year, he suffered a serious ankle injury at the Miami Open in March and was forced off the tour for more than a month. Murray was determined to enjoy another season on clay, but the surface had always been unkind to him and he struggled with his back as lost to Stan Wawrinka in straight sets at the French Open.
Back on Murray’s favored grass courts, where the ball bounces lower and the faster conditions provide more power to his shots, the five-time Queen’s champion was sharp from the start. He served effectively, moving well enough behind the baseline and placing the ball in difficult positions as he neutralized the tall Australian’s serve.
But as is often the case against strong grass servers, a distracted start to the second set was enough to take it to a decider. Murray also appeared to have some back discomfort during the second set.
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It doesn’t matter, he reacts immediately. After holding serve, he opened the final set with an excellent return that ended with a stunning angled forehand return past Popyrin as the Aussie tried to serve and volley before drawing Popyrin into the net with a short backhand before slipping a passing winner backhand shot. With the break secured, he served effectively until the end.
Meanwhile, a tearful Dan Evans was forced to withdraw from his first-round match against Brandon Nakashima at 6-4, 3-6 after slipping behind the baseline and injuring his knee. Evans now faces a nervous wait as he undergoes tests to see the significance of the injury. “I’m heartbroken right now, to be honest,” he said. “Yes, it is hard.”
Evans is the latest in a growing list of casualties in his first few days at Queen’s. Francis Tiafoe was also forced to withdraw after slipping on the courts and Thanassi Kokkinakis also withdrew from the qualifying draw after slipping in his first qualifying match.
In Birmingham, Katie Boulter failed to continue her brilliant title defense in Nottingham with another strong performance as she also withdrew from her first round match due to illness while trailing Angelina Kalinina 3-6.
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