Andy Murray has experienced many disheartening losses since his hip operation in 2019. He came close against Stefanos Tsitsipas at Wimbledon. There were instances where he brought out his old form on the court. Murray’s injury has pulled down his rankings, but not his determination to continue to play.
Andy Murray has shared insights into the rigorous training regime to which he’s subjected himself for the upcoming hard court events. This week, he is back on the court at the ATP 500 in Washington, D.C., a tournament where he was the runner-up in 2006. Last year, he struggled with cramps due to the heat. The former world No. 1 has devised methods to combat the harsh playing conditions.
On being asked about his preparation, Murray said “In preparation before I left to come here, I was doing a lot of bike sessions. Basically, I can do it at home, but I have a room where I can use like heaters and I have a steam room next to it.”
He continued, “It wasn’t put in there for that purpose, but I put the bike in there and we can, like, open the steam room a little bit to increase the humidity, obviously the heaters to get the heat in the room up. Set it to like 35 degrees Celsius and, like, 70% humidity, and then I would do my bike sessions in there.“ (via Yahoo News). Murray is not the type to slow down after an injury but, in fact, adapts to any condition he is faced with.
Andy Murray’s fifth visit to Washington and rankings concern
Murray has had his own experiences at the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington. The 36-year-old is playing at Washington for the fifth time. He had lost in the first round last year. Murray lost to Mikael Ymer in three sets and, this time received a bye in the first round. The 2012 US Open champion received a bye in the event’s first round.
Murray is currently No. 44 and will try to enter the top thirty-two of the rankings. The three-time Grand Slam winner looked fit and well at Wimbledon. His movement on the court was good enough to trouble the youngsters.
The injury has restricted his quick movements. Murray will hope to use his groundstrokes to get the ball moving at the US Open. The two-time Olympic gold medalist will focus on improving his rankings for now. Murray can use his Wimbledon loss as motivation to counterattack at the US Open.