Tokyo Olympics 2020: Andy Murray vs Felix Auger-Aliassime preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: Andy Murray [GBR] vs (9) Felix Auger-Aliassime [CAN]
Date: TBD
Tournament: Tokyo Olympics 2020
Round: First round (Round of 64)
Venue: Ariake Tennis Park, Tokyo, Japan
Category: Olympic Games
Surface: Outdoor hard
Live telecast: USA - NBC & Peacock TV | UK - BBC TV | India - Sony Liv
Andy Murray vs Felix Auger-Aliassime preview
Two-time defending champion Andy Murray will begin his campaign at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics against ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Murray, currently ranked 104 in the world, could not have been handed a trickier first-round matchup. Auger-Aliassime is high on confidence following his run to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.
Meanwhile, the Brit fell in the third round of his home Slam, losing in straight sets to Denis Shapovalov. Murray enters the Tokyo Olympics with an underwhelming 4-4 win-loss record and is yet to beat a top 20 player this year.
In terms of rankings, Murray's biggest win came against Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round at Wimbledon. But considering his past record at the Olympics, the Brit should not be written off.
In addition to his singles gold medals from the London Olympics (2012) and Rio Games (2016), the three-time Slam champion also has a silver medal in mixed doubles.
Murray has played a total of 13 singles matches at the Olympics, out of which he has won 12. The Brit's only defeat at the Games came against Yen-Hsun Lu of Taiwan in the first round in 2008. Since then, Murray has won 12 matches in a row.
However, since winning the top honor in Brazil in 2016, Murray has gone under the knife more than once. Naturally, the 34-year-old is no longer the force he once was and is not regarded as a medal prospect this year.
Felix Auger-Aliassime, on the other hand, will be making his debut at the Games. The 20-year-old has a 24-14 win-loss record this year, but 10 of those wins came during the grasscourt season.
He has struggled on hardcourt this year and will hope to turn his fortunes around at the Olympics.
Andy Murray vs Felix Auger-Aliassime head-to-head
Feliz Auger-Aliassime leads Andy Murray 1-0 in the head-to-head. The two locked horns in the second round of the 2020 US Open, with the Canadian winning 6-2, 6-3, 6-4.
Andy Murray vs Felix Auger-Aliassime prediction
Even though Felix Auger-Aliassime enters this match as the firm favorite, Andy Murray simply cannot be counted out.
The fact that all singles matches in Tokyo will be played over three sets will work in Murray's favor as it will put less pressure on his body.
The courts at Ariake Tennis Park are reportedly on the slower side, and that too could play into the Brit's hands. Murray's defense was as solid as ever during Wimbledon and he will need to channel some of that form if he is to pull off an upset here.
But all things considered, Felix Auger-Aliassime should have the firepower to hit through Murray. As long as the Canadian maintains a steady level and does not leak unforced errors, he should be able to edge past the two-time gold medalist.
Prediction: Felix Auger-Aliassime to win in three sets.