Andy Murray adds Antwerp to packed schedule for rest of 2021

Former world No 1 Andy Murray is being true to his word as he looks to try to play as many matches as possible in the rest of 2021, adding the European Antwerp (October 18-24) to an already packed schedule.

The 34-year-old, trying to get his ranking up from its current mark of 113, is playing this week in Metz, then will hot-foot it to the United States to play in San Diego and the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, before returning to Europe.

Murray won the title in Antwerp in 2019, his first since having a metal hip inserted at the beginning of that year. Adjusting to his new hip has taken time and led to a number of other niggling injuries but Murray says he’s now hoping to play as much as he can before the end of the year.

“My plan just now is to to play everything,” Murray said at the Moselle Open in Metz, where he plays Ugo Humbert in his first match on Tuesday. “Obviously, if things go really well, you know, maybe I will adjust and take a week off but I want to try and compete as much as I can between now and the end of the year.

“Obviously I want to be winning matches, but (I also want to) just build up some robustness and get my body used to competing again on a regular basis. If I win four or five matches in a week, you know, then I might have to say, OK, like I need to take a break the following week.

“While I’m feeling good physically, I want to just try to try and try to play just now and like I said, build up some robustness. “Hopefully I win lots of matches and improve my ranking, get my body used to competing week in, week out again. I haven’t really done that for a number of years, but my body is responding pretty well so far to the competition in the last few weeks and months. So hopefully it stays that way between now and the end of the year.”

Read also

Murray “lost respect” for Tsitsipas in contentious five-set US Open loss

Tennis Majors