Andy Murray practices in Abu Dhabi ahead of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship
Andy Murray recently arrived in Abu Dhabi and hit the practice courts ahead of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship.
The exhibition tournament begins on Wednesday and will continue till the 18th. Murray takes on last year's US Open champion Dominic Thiem in the quarterfinals, with the winner facing Rafael Nadal in the semis. This is the fifth meeting between the two players and their first since 2019.
The official Twitter page of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship posted pictures of Murray practicing.
.@Andy_Murray has arrived #InAbuDhabi 👋
#MWTC #MakeWayForTheBest https://t.co/qJfQpFQAga
The former World No. 1 is a former two-time champion at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship and will be making his fourth appearance at the exhibition event this year. Murray won the inaugural edition in 2009 by defeating Rafael Nadal in a tightly contested three-setter.
In 2015, he made easy work of the Spaniard and set up a final against three-time reigning champion Novak Djokovic. With the Serb withdrawing due to illness, Murray won the tournament for the second time.
Andy Murray finished 2021 ranked 134
The last couple of years have been very tough for the Scot as a hip injury kept him out of the game. After undergoing surgery, Murray started 2021 ranked 125th and a couple of decent performances saw him move up to 105 in the ATP rankings.
The 34-year-old then dropped to 172 but finished 2021 ranked 134. Murray has defeated a number of higher-ranked opponents this year, including Hubert Hurkacz, Jannik Sinner, Ugo Humbert and Carlos Alcaraz, to name a few. He also put up a good fight against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round of the US Open, before losing in five sets.
After a few resurgent performances, the Scot has been nominated for the ATP Comeback Player of the Year award.
Murray will look to put on a good show at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship. Being the lowest-ranked player in the tournament, he is among the underdogs. He will face a tough opponent in Thiem, who is heavily favored to win despite suffering a few injuries last year.
However, Murray should not be written off given his experience. The 34-year-old recently split with coach Jamie Delgado, with Jan de Witt joining his team for a trial period.
Following the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, Murray will represent Scotland as they face England in the Battle of the Brits Premier League of Tennis. Murray will then shift his focus to the Australian Open as he looks to get his 2022 campaign off to a strong start.