Less than a month ago Jamie and Andy Murray teamed up to win the doubles rubber of their Davis Cup quarterfinal clash against France, eventually sending Great Britain into the semi-finals for the first time in 34 years. Wednesday, though, they are divided, as the Murray brothers are pitted against each other for the first time on tour in the second round of the Rogers Cup.
Older brother Jamie, 29, is currently in the form of his life alongside Australian partner John Peers after reaching the Wimbledon final and backing that up with his second title of the year at the International German Open in Hamburg. The pair are also in good Masters form, reaching the quarterfinals of the last two in Madrid and Rome.
The success of the doubles pair means that they are currently on course to compete at the end-of-year ATP World Tour Finals for the first time, sitting 5th in the Race to London.
Andy Murray, 28, is no slouch on a doubles court either, having reached the final of the Rogers Cup just two years ago alongside Colin Fleming. This year he is also in fine company alongside 16-time Grand Slam doubles winner Leander Paes. They proved their functionality as a partnership with a simple first round victory over Kevin Anderson and Jeremy Chardy, dispatching them comfortably, 6-3 6-1.
With Jamie’s attention focused on the doubles tour after failing to break the top #800 on the singles tour back in 2006, it is perhaps unsurprising that it has taken over ten professional years for the Scottish duo to meet. Nevertheless, it will most likely be an affair of the highest quality with the calibre of players on display.
Having grown up training together, the two brothers will know the major elements of each other’s game. The pair has more competitive history than just training and competing recently in the Davis Cup, winning both the Valencia Open 500 in 2010 and the Rakuten Japan Tennis Open Championships a year later as a partnership. Apart from the recent Davis Cup, the brothers have not played together since the 2013 Indian Wells tournament, with Jamie having found great success alongside John Peers.
Andy Murray discussed the potential tie on Sunday, saying, “I’ve never played my brother since we became professionals. We obviously played a lot against each other as juniors in local competitions and around Great Britain.”
This isn’t quite true, as the two brothers did compete against each other in a one-set exhibition match back in 2007 with Andy triumphing comfortably on the singles court. Wednesday’s encounter is likely to be far more competitive though, as Jamie battles his brother in his more familiar doubles surroundings.
The doubles event in Montreal boasts a strong field this year with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal also electing to take part, partnering Janko Tipsarevic and Fernando Verdasco respectively. Along with Andy Murray, both pairings also advanced to the second round after winning their first round encounters on Monday.
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