World No. 1 Andy Murray will start his campaign for a record sixth title at the Aegon Championships in London feeling much more confident than he was earlier this month amidst his struggles on clay.
The 30 year old started Roland Garros with a 4-4 record on the red dirt and entered the tournament having lost his last match at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia to Italian Fabio Fognini.
But the Scot turned his clay season around in Paris, winning five consecutive matches to reach the semi-finals. Murray fell to Stan Wawrinka in a five-set battle. “I’m happier with where my game is at… Obviously I’m playing better now than I was before [Roland Garros] in practice. I have been hitting the ball a lot better than I was,” Murray said.
Yet the top seed in London believes he still has room for improvement as he kicks off his grass-court season in Great Britain. Murray said he’d like to see his serve as well as his movement get better as he once against becomes accustomed to the turf at The Queen’s Club. “I was a lot closer to where I want to be but still far from how I want to be playing,” he said.
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Like Rafael Nadal’s accomplishments at Barcelona and Monte-Carlo, Murray’s achievements at The Queen’s Club are unparalleled. Last year, the Scot became the first man in the 126-year history of the tournament to win the event five times.
“This tournament over my career has been for sure my best tournament. I love playing here,” Murray said.
He will have the usual intense competition for the title. Every past champion since 2009 is in the field, including Marin Cilic (2012), Sam Querrey (2010) and Grigor Dimitrov (2014). Five of the Top 10 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, including World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka, are also in the draw.
“The field this year is really strong, as it is most years,” Murray said.
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Last year, Murray solved Milos Raonic’s serve just in time to win the record fifth title. The Scot went on to win his second Wimbledon title as well. He later claimed a third title in London with his first Nitto ATP Finals title.
Aegon Championships Title Leaders
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Andy Murray
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2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016
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Andy Roddick
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2003, 2004, 2005, 2007
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Lleyton Hewitt
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2000, 2001, 2002, 2006
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Boris Becker
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1985, 1987, 1988, 1996
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John McEnroe
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1979, 1980, 1981, 1984
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Roy Emerson
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1963, 1964, 1965, 1966
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Anthony Wilding
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1907, 1910, 1911, 1912
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Major J.G. Ritchie
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1902, 1904, 1906, 1909
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The top seed is making his 12th Aegon Championships appearance, but his first as World No. 1. Murray boasts a remarkable 30-5 record at the event with titles in each of the past four odd years (2009, 2011, 2013, 2015). He is also on a 14-match win streak on grass and has a 125-26 record in Great Britain (.828).
Learn More In Murray’s FedEx ATP Win/Loss Section
