Andy Murray has reportedly pulled out of next week’s Japan Open to end what turned out to be a disappointing Asian swing for the former world No 1 in a fresh blow to his chances of being seeded for the 2024 Australian Open. After a frustrating second-round loss at the US Open, Murray helped Great Britain qualify for the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup.
His attention then swiftly turned to a return to China, where he was scheduled to play in four tournaments. The last time the ATP Tour was in China was back in 2019 when Murray was first making his comeback from a long injury lay-off.
Murray has a good record in Asia throughout his career having won the Shanghai Masters title three times. He also beat Rafael Nadal in a memorable Japan Open final back in 2011, but the Brit won’t be making his return to Tokyo this time around.
Murray was included on the list of entrants for next week’s Japan Open, which included the likes of Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev. However, the PA News Agency reports that Murray has withdrawn from the event in a late change to his schedule.
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Instead, the 36-year-old will reportedly look to join the entry list for the Swiss Indoors at the end of the month ahead of the Paris Masters. But the Brit will need deep runs in the final few tournaments of the year to try and get seeded for next year’s Australian Open.
Murray’s Asian swing for 2023 ends in disappointment having been knocked out of three tournaments with just one win to his name. The three-time Grand Slam champion beat Ye Cong Mo in his first match on Chinese soil since the 2019 Shanghai Masters.
But that was Murray’s only highlight in Asia as he lost three consecutive matches to Aslan Karatsev, Alex de Minaur and Roman Safiullin. The Brit smashed his racket in disgust during his defeat at the Shanghai Masters in the first round.
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He’ll be hoping for better luck at the Swiss Indoors later this month with the Paris Masters and the Moselle Open also on Murray’s schedule. Murray will likely be hoping for a place in Great Britain’s squad for the Davis Cup Finals in November as well.
“I’ve always loved playing Davis Cup and any event where you’re competing for your country,” he said last month. “We have a great group of guys, I love being part of this team, we’ve got great staff as well. Everyone gets on extremely well.
“I do genuinely believe the team can win the event. That’s huge motivation to be a part of it. I want to help the team in any way I can, whether that’s on the court or off. We’ll see what happens.”
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