Murray to shift Australian Open prep due to Omicron threat

Speaking after the Abu Dhabi exhibition event Murray touched upon the rising number of cases that saw his and his brother's exhibition event Battle of the Brits canceled next week. That along with the threat of the virus made Murray rethink his next steps as he prepares for the 2022 Australian Open. He said:

"With the number of cases that there are back home obviously I want to try and stay safe. When I get home I'm going to do all my physical stuff at home to avoid being like going to the National tennis center. There has been a number of cases there in the last week or ten days so. I will try and find a quiet court and then leave and be at home."

Asked when does he leave for Australia Murray was unsure of the date but admitted he will get tested before takeoff on Christmas day indicating that his flight will follow shortly after that. Murray spoke about the significance of the conditions and surface on matches:

"It all depends on the surface. Novak is very tough to play against in Australia. He likes the courts and the surface there. I've beat him twice on grass but I lost to Federer at Wimbledon. The matchups are always different depending on the surface. Novak on hard, Rafa on clay, Roger's record on grass is amazing so it's all about the surface."