Andy Murray equals bizarre tennis feat after Dubai announcement
The three-time grand slam champ will be playing at the ATP 500.
Andy Murray will play at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship after he was granted a wildcard, which draws him level with Tommy Haas for the most wildcard entries since 1990. Murray took a couple of weeks off from the ATP Tour after an astonishing and gruelling Australian Open campaign.
The Scot defeated Matteo Berrettini and Thanasi Kokkinakis in back-to-back five-set thrillers at Melbourne Park, before he was eliminated in the third round. The two-time Wimbledon champion opted to take a small break after his trip to Australia to recover from the hard-court battles.
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This saw him pull out of the Rotterdam Open and instead have a hit with Emma Raducanu at home. But, in an exciting announcement, Murray will return to Dubai and feature in the ATP 500 event.
Murray is set to feature alongside Novak Djokovic in the event starting February 19. Remarkably, this marks the 53rd time the former World No.1 has been granted a wildcard into an ATP event.
This draws him level with Haas as the two players with the most entries. Murray is sure to break this record, which could occur just after his trip to Dubai amid the hard-court campaign.
Andy Murray gets wild card to play the ATP 500 in Dubai!
Most wild cards received on the ATP Tour since 1990:
Andy Murray - 53
Tommy Haas - 53
Goran Ivanisevic - 51
James Blake - 49
Lleyton Hewitt - 45
😮— Luigi Gatto (@gigicat7_) February 7, 2023
Andy Murray thrilled for Dubai return
Murray has fond memories of Dubai having previously won the tournament after he defeated Fernando Verdasco in the final. “Coming back to Dubai brings with it a lot of good memories, not least 2017 and the final with Fernando,” Murray said in a statement.
“My form is improving and my game is getting better, so the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships provides another great opportunity for me to continue to climb back up the rankings.”
Murray has noted his intention to rise up the rankings again after the three-time grand slam winner has dropped to World No.61. Djokovic, Andrey Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev are all set to feature in Dubai.
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