"The women have done extremely well this week" - Andy Murray thrilled by 'rare' British dominance in Nottingham
Andy Murray recently expressed his delight at the resurgence of British tennis at the ATP and WTA events in Nottingham.
After winning the Surbiton Challenger on June 11, Murray secured his ninth consecutive win on grass by defeating Nuno Borges in the semifinals of the Rothesay Open on Saturday, June 17. He advanced to the final alongside his compatriots on the women's circuit — British No. 1 Katie Boulter and Jodie Burrage, who are set to contest the WTA 250 title.
Following his win over Dominic Stricker in the quarterfinals, the former World No. 1 expressed his satisfaction with the performances of his compatriots after recent concerns about the state of British tennis.
"I mean, obviously this week's been great," Andy Murray said. "A couple of weeks ago we were hearing that British tennis wasn't doing well. Things change a lot on a week-to-week basis. You just want all of the players to reach their potential and make sure everyone's working hard."
The three-time Grand Slam champion emphasized that not every player can win Wimbledon and the other Majors, highlighting that it's important to seize every opportunity that comes a player's way.
"Not everyone is going to win Wimbledon and Grand Slams, things like that, but you just want to make sure everyone is making the most of this amazing opportunity to play tennis for a living. This week has obviously been brilliant," he added.
Murray lauded the impressive performances put in by the British WTA players over the course of the tournament. He also acknowledged the rarity of several British tennis players reaching the later stages of a tournament and called for fans to enjoy the occasion.
"The women have done extremely well this week and hopefully that continues through the year but, yeah, it should be a fun weekend for British tennis fans. It's been rare that we've had so many people at the latter stages of big events, so enjoy it," Andy Murray said.
Nottingham 2023 final: Andy Murray set to take on Arthur Cazaux, Katie Boulter faces Jodie Burrage
Andy Murray defeated Nuno Borges in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2 to advance to his second consecutive ATP Challenger final. The former World No. 1 will be up against Arthur Cazaux in the final on Sunday, June 18.
Currently at No. 40 in the live rankings, Murray has a chance to be seeded at the 2023 Wimbledon if he wins the final and makes a strong run at the Queen's Club Championships.
Meanwhile, Katie Boulter defeated Harriet Dart in the quarterfinals and Heather Watson in the semifinals to advance to her first-ever WTA final. On the other side of the draw, Jodie Burrage took down Alize Cornet in the last four, setting up the first all-British WTA final since 1977.