Andy Murray returned to the winner's circle on the grass by winning a trophy at the Surbiton Challenger where he defeated Jurij Rodionov in the final in two sets.
Murray hasn't won a trophy on grass in years but he did win a challenger trophy earlier this year. It came on clay at the Aix Challenger which was his first trophy in a while and now he has two. The Surbiton challenger was a really great experience for him because he ended up as the winner but more importantly it was a perfect way to start the grass season.
He knows the area and the courts, he's practised there, he's lived much of the past decade pretty nearby and he had his family there with him most days. A rain delay didn't allow his family to see the trophy ceremony but they watched it on the TV with Murray sending them a message and promising to bring the trophy home.
It's actually a trophy which is significant because he became the oldest grass challenger winner ever by winning it. No older player has ever won a challenger on grass which is quite significant. Murray is not at a stage in his career where he breaks a lot of records or sets milestones that are expected to stand for years. This one might be because we don't have many grass challengers on the calendar.
Murray will have a chance to add another challenger trophy this year when he makes his way to the Nottingham Challenger this week as he wants to play as many matches on grass as possible. It's not a surface that is hard on the body because the rallies are rather short which is good for Murray as he tries to prepare as well as he can for Wimbledon.
What a weekend for tennis (singles). Iga Swiatek - tied for active women's player with most slams (#4). Novak Djokovic - most slams - men (#23); only men's player to win each slam at least 3 times. Andy Murray - oldest grass court champion in ATP Challengers. Congratulations! 🥂
