Wilander dubs Indian Wells and Miami as 'perfect tournaments' for Murray: "Being a tactical genius, he welcomes the challenge"
ATP
Andy Murray will return to action this evening at BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells and Mats Wilander for Eurosport has dubbed the Sunshine Double as perfect tournaments for Murray.
This is for a myriad of factors including having a day off, the surface and type of play needed in the desert and the shorter game time meaning Murray is less likely to have the previous epic matches he has had recently.
“Indian Wells and Miami are perfect tournaments for Murray because it's not five sets, it's three sets,” said Wilander as per Eurosport.
“He's got a day off between most matches. Let's say he gets to his semi-finals and he's going to play the first few matches with a day off in between, that makes a huge difference for Andy.
"And then I think you have to put the comfortable factor into the equation. He's played Indian Wells and Miami so many times. They are very difficult places to play hard-court tennis, to me, because the conditions are extremely different from Indian Wells to Miami.
"Indian Wells is very high, bouncy, it's very slow. So there are certain opponents that you're going to have a problem with, and there are certain opponents that you're going to find easier to play on a court like that. And Murray, being a tactical genius, I think he welcomes the challenge of playing in the desert air where it's really cold at night and it's very hot and fast during the daytime.
“And to Murray, I think these conditions and circumstances are perfect for him. So I believe this is where he can make his move higher up in the ranking."Because, again, we have to remember someone like Murray - if he's going to win a Grand Slam tournament again - the first step is to be seeded, he needs to be seeded amongst the top so that he doesn't run into Novak Djokovic in the third or fourth round.
“He needs to play the best players in the quarters or the semis because he needs the matches and the confidence before he faces the likes of [Daniil] Medvedev or Djokovic or Rafael Nadal.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
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