The Miami Open presented by Itau has a new tournament director, and he's a familiar face for tennis fans across the world. Ten-time ATP World Tour titlist and former World No. 4 James Blake has been named to the role and will focus on player relations, media, broadcast, as well as tournament improvements and innovations, the tournament stated in a release on Thursday. “I am grateful for the opportunity to lead the Miami Open team that has been putting on one of the best tennis events for more than 30 years,” said Blake. “As a player, I always loved playing in Miami and I am excited for the opportunity to take the tournament experience to a higher level for the...
After three runner-up finishes at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, Gael Monfils finally captured the title with victory over Andrey Rublev in the championship match on Saturday. But he was not the only one who received hardware, as Tournament Director Karim Alami accepted a trophy honouring the Doha event's place as one of the Tournaments of the Year in the 2017 ATP World Tour Awards presented by Moët & Chandon. The Qatar ExxonMobil Open reclaimed the award in the 250 category after previously sharing the honour with the St. Petersburg Open in 2015. Held in the opening week of the ATP World Tour season with ExxonMobil as title sponsor since its 1993 inception, the set new attendance records in 2017 under...
Five-time finalist Andy Murray has withdrawn from the Australian Open due to a hip injury. The announcement comes just two days after he pulled out of the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp. “Sadly I won’t be playing in Melbourne this year, as I am not yet ready to compete,” said Murray. “I’ll be flying home shortly to assess all the options but I appreciate all the messages of support and I hope to be back playing soon.” Murray has a 48-12 record at the first major championship of the year, finishing runner-up in 2010-2011, 2013, 2015-16. The former World No. 1 has not played competitively since July 2017, when he lost to Sam Querrey in the Wimbledon quarter-finals. [ALSO LIKE]...
Andy Murray has released a heartfelt statement to his social media followers after withdrawing from the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp on Tuesday. The two-time champion at the Queensland event was hoping to make his long-awaited return to the ATP World Tour this week after a hip injury has seen him spend six months on the sidelines. Murray, who hasn’t played a competitive match since July 2017 at Wimbledon, apologised to the tournament and fans before providing an update on the status of his injury via Instagram. “Firstly I want to apologise [to the tournament] for withdrawing at late notice and to everyone who wanted to come along to watch me play. The organisers couldn't have been more understanding and...
Andy Murray has been forced to withdraw from the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp due to pain in his right hip. The former World No. 1 will stay in Brisbane as he works towards returning to the tennis circuit. “I’m very disappointed to be withdrawing from the Brisbane International,” said Murray. “I came here with every intention of making a strong start to the year, but sadly my team and I don’t feel that I’m where I need to be just yet to compete at the highest level. “I have great memories of playing here in Brisbane and I have always enjoyed competing in front of the Queensland fans, so look forward to returning in the near future.” [ALSO LIKE]...
