Murray says he would get rid of pre-match warm-up

The former world No 1 believes the four-minute warm-up is unnecessary

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March 12, 2023

Andy Murray‘s been playing so much tennis this year that he was doubtless delighted to get his first straight-sets win of 2023 when he beat Radu Albot at the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday.

The former world No 1’s 6-4, 6-3 win put him into the third round in Indian Wells, where he will play fellow Briton, Jack Draper, continuing his improvement this year as he tries to secure a seeded spot for the summer’s Grand Slam events.

I’d forgotten what that felt like. Bosh💪 https://t.co/XSXs22iTbt
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) March 12, 2023

Afterwards, Murray was asked which rule in tennis he would change, if he had the power, and he focused on one which would knock a few minutes off his on-court time (not that it’s actually counted, officially).

“I’d probably get rid of the four-minute warm-up,” Murray told reporters. “I’d probably do that. It would make certain things probably a little bit trickier in terms of timing, like when you warm up for the match and stuff like that, because…I would warm up two-and-a-half to three hours before I go on, whereas my preference would actually probably be to warm up sort of 20 minutes before you go on.

“Because of the way that the matches are scheduled, you know, that’s a bit trickier. But, yeah, I’d probably get rid of the pre-match warm-up.”

Murray read for challenge of fellow Brit Draper

Murray said he expects a tough challenge from Draper, who has come through quickly at the top level, having been helped by the Scot over the last few years.

“It will be a good match,” Murray said of the Englishman, ranked one spot below Murray at No 56. “He obviously plays really well. He’s not actually competed that much on the tour, but when he has done, he’s always performed really well.

“I think he’s going to be a top, top player for a long time, providing he stays healthy. It will be a good match.”