Rennes (AFP)
Engaged in the Rennes Challenger tennis tournament, very far from the glitter of the Grand Slams, the former world No. 1 Andy Murray explained that he wanted to "get (his) body used again to play 2, 3, 4 matches in a week".
At 34, the Scotsman assures us that he feels "very good" and that he can play "at a very high level", but after his double right hip operation, in 2017 and then in 2019, he points to the 116th place in the ATP ranking.
His popularity and his track record still open the doors to major tournaments, but "every time I have to face the best from the start, it's not easy," he told reporters.
This year, he was eliminated in the 3rd round of Wimbledon by the Canadian Denis Shapovalov (12th world) and lost two weeks ago in the 1st round of the US Open in front of Stefanos Tsitsipas (3rd world), ironically about the long breaks of the Greek during their nearly 5 hours of battle.
Between these glamorous but constantly missed meetings, he therefore seeks to go up the slope by chaining the small tournaments, like that of Rennes, where the winner will pocket the sum of 9,200 euros.
Not without a tribute to the cohort of shadow professionals that he finds there: "They are all very good. They devote their entire lives to tennis", he greeted, happy that the presence of Richard Gasquet, Gilles Simon and Lucas Pouille, three French climbed to the Top 10, attracts crowds.
The Scottish debut in Brittany was not easy Monday night as he was quickly broken by the German Yannick Maden (240th in the world) during his first round.
"The conditions are quite different from New York," he explained.
"The pitch is much slower and the ball bounces very low."
But he quickly adapted to win 6-3, 6-1.
"Obviously I would like to try to win, even if it will not be easy. But the most important for me is to continue the matches," he insisted.
© 2021 AFP