Tennis

Andy Murray has springboard to end the season strong despite Basel heartbreak

Andy Murray suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Tomas Etcheverry at the Swiss Indoors as he lost from a set up with the Argentine coming through 6-7(5) 6-3 6-2. But the Brit is still in a good position to end the year strong, with few ranking points to defend and some extra tournaments to play.

Although Murray’s Swiss Indoors run ended in heartbreak when he went away in the final set of his match against Etcheverry, the world No 40 still showed some positive signs over the week. He snapped his three-match losing streak with his opening-round win and managed to match last year’s result in Basel, meaning he won’t lose any ranking points.

While he will be disappointed by losing in the round of 16 at the Swiss Indoors, Murray will be extra motivated to get a few extra match wins on the board before the season ends as he heads into his last few tournaments. The Brit will now play the Paris Masters before competing in the Moselle Open and representing Britain in the Davis Cup.

And Murray is in prime position to climb a few spots up the rankings before the year is out, as he defends just 10 points for the rest of the season which came from a first-round loss in Paris last year. The Brit will also want to be match-fit going into next month’s Davis Cup – another reason to motivate himself to get some more victories across Paris and Metz.

Click here to join our WhatsApp community to be the first to receive breaking and exclusive tennis news

Just in Alcaraz gives comeback update as Djokovic fight renewed in Paris after injury[LATEST]

Dan Evans picked up an injury that forced him to retire from his opening match in Vienna. And it means that the world No 35 could be in doubt for the Davis Cup, with Britain facing Serbia in the quarter-final on November 23.

If Evans can’t play for his nation next month, Murray would likely become Britain’s No 2 man for the singles. And with Cameron Norrie currently struggling for form, the team captain could opt to swap them around and have the No 2 play the rival squad’s top man – in this case, Novak Djokovic.

  • Advert-free experience without interruptions.
  • Rocket-fast speedy loading pages.
  • Exclusive & Unlimited access to all our content.

Don’t miss…
Novak Djokovic hits out at ATP in strong statement defending players’ rights[STATEMENT]
Ben Shelton names his favourite player with verdict on Federer v Nadal[VERDICT]
Stan Wawrinka gives heartbreaking interview with career hanging by a thread[QUOTES]

With an important tie on the horizon for Britain, Murray will be eager to help his team progress at the ‘World Cup’ of tennis and will want to be in the best position possible going into the tournament – getting some extra matches under his belt beforehand and enjoying the boost of a rise up the rankings.

The world No 40 could still face a tough draw at both the Paris Masters and the Moselle Open as he won’t be seeded for either event. But Murray has high expectations of himself and a second-round loss in Basel can only fuel his desire to prove that he can still have a deep run at a big event.

Source: Read Full Article