Andy Murray is “mentally” planning for next month’s US Open but admits he is apprehensive about the return of tennis following the coronavirus shutdown.
The former world
number one is taking part in the Battle of the Brits Team Tennis event in
London this week and remains focused on the showpiece hard-court event in New
York, scheduled to start on August 31.
The British player
told the Metro he was expecting the US Open, which he won in 2012, to go
ahead.
“We have to try and
prepare that way,” he said. “We were saying four or five weeks ago, you know,
we were pretty sceptical about it but mentally at some stage you need to start
preparing and planning for that.”
“I’m planning to
try and be there in shape for the US Open,” he added.
“If it wasn’t
happening my schedule for practising, my rehab would all be a bit different. So
yeah, mentally I’m planning for it to go ahead.”
The three-time
Grand Slam champion said he was still “apprehensive” but hopes tennis can
follow other sports back into action after the long lay-off.
Top-level men’s and
women’s tennis has been suspended since March.
Tennis chiefs last
week cancelled a tournament in Washington DC due to mark the resumption of the
men’s tennis season over “continued uncertainties”.
Several leading
figures have cast doubts over the US Open, including world number one Novak
Djokovic, who earlier this month said he was undecided over whether to travel
for the tournament.
“Hopefully it can
go ahead but, if not, I’m also OK with that,” Murray said in comments reported
by the Guardian.
“It’s not like I’m
saying it must go ahead. We need to try to get back to competing when it’s safe
to do so.
“Some sports have
gone back, and seem to have done pretty well – football, for example. The issue
for us is the travel.”
Murray, still
working his way back from injury, suggested he would probably try to compete at
the ATP Western and Southern Open, which has been switched to Flushing Meadows,
as a warm-up event ahead of the US Open.
