The first round of the US Open is underway, but don’t forget that the ATP Tour never sleeps and there are also lower-tier events to keep up with. In his third singles tournament after having undergone a hip resurfacing surgery, the former world no.1 and 3-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray played his first match on the ATP Challenger Tour in fourteen years. The Brit had no problem dismantling an inexperienced opponent 6-0, 6-1, losing just thirteen points in the process. The whole affair took just over 40 minutes.
Andy Murray returns to action
17-year-old Imran Sibille is a Frenchman and a protégé at the Rafa Nadal Academy. He played just two senior events this year, both 15k ITFs in Manacor, Mallorca, and participated only in doubles. Murray has already earned over 60 million dollars on the court, a number significantly higher than his opponent’s count of $150. Today, they fought for just three ATP points and an equivalent of the Frenchmen’s entire career prize money.
For Murray, the Rafa Nadal Open is the third stop in his singles comeback after losing to Richard Gasquet at Cincinnati and Tennys Sandgren in Winston-Salem.
How did the match go?
In another rendition of the prodigy versus fallen star battle that we so often see on the ATP Challenger Tour, Sibille stood no chance. The Frenchman tried his best, threw everything he had at Murray yet ultimately found himself weaponless against one of the all-time greats of the game.
Sibille is a good mover and can play pretty solid tennis from the baseline but had nothing to hurt the Brit with. It was the 3-time Grand Slam champion who dominated the play, running around his forehand and closing points at the net. The 17-year-old will have to work on his offensive game if he wants to take his career to the next level.
As for Murray, playing the Rafa Nadal Open might turn out to be a good decision. What the Brit needs right now is play time and lower-tier events are a great way to get a few matches in if you’re on your way back from an injury.
It was really just a stroll in the park for Murray and he didn’t have to get out of the fourth gear. He was up 6-0, 5-0 before Sibille won a game where it didn’t seem like Murray really tried to make it a double-bagel. His movement looked alright but to be fair, the Frenchman wasn’t the one pushing his opponent around the court. The match against third seed Norbert Gombos will be a better way of evaluating where Andy Murray is right now.
Main Photo from Getty
