Top 10 Stars in Action: The opening week of the 2017 ATP World Tour season features three tournaments with nine of the Top 10 players in the Emirates ATP Rankings leading the way. This is the third year in a row at least four of the Top 5 and seven of the Top 10 are playing in the opening week of the season: Brisbane: (3) Raonic, (4) Wawrinka, (5) Nishikori, (8) Thiem, (9) Nadal; Doha: (1) Murray, (2) Djokovic, (10) Berdych; Chennai: (6) Cilic. #NextGen Watch: There are four #NextGen players in action (not including qualifiers): Chennai: Borna Coric, Daniil Medvedev; Brisbane: (WC) Elias Ymer; Doha: Karen Khachanov. January Title Leaders: In the past seven years, a Top 10 player has...
Andy Murray is kicking off the new year with a new approach to his schedule. The World No. 1 returns to the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha for the first time since 2014. Murray will open his 2017 season with a first-round match against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy. Having previously won in Doha 2008 and 2009, he’s experienced the benefits firsthand of how this event can help set him up for a successful season. “One of the advantages is that it splits up the journey to Australia a little bit. You can fly direct pretty much to Melbourne from here. It’s very convenient, especially for the players from Europe, to sort of go halfway,” said Murray. “It’s worked well for a...
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic officially launched the 2017 ATP World Tour season on Sunday ahead of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha. Photo: QTF Paul Zimmer.
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic officially launched the 2017 ATP World Tour season on Sunday ahead of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha. Murray and Djokovic played a game of mini-tennis and posed for photos on a specially-constructed elevated court in front of the Museum of Islamic Art, with the backdrop of the Doha skyline. “It was amazing with an amazing view,” said Murray. “We are very lucky to go to some of the nicest places in the world and it’s a good way to start the year. Novak and I have played many big matches over the years, competing for the sport’s biggest prizes and hopefully it will be the same this year.” “It is great to start off...