The 2022 ATP season should be remembered by Andy Murray fans as the year that Murray’s comeback was set on solid ground. After teasing a retirement a few years ago, then undergoing hip surgery, Murray’s recovery had a lot of ups and downs and little stability. But all that changed in 2022 as Murray found his footing and returned to the top 50, most importantly managing to stay on court and not miss time due to nagging setbacks as in previous years.
This allowed him to stay sharp and to accumulate the ranking points that he was lacking over the last few years; and although he didn’t win a post-surgery tournament this year as he did in Antwerp in 2019, he did firmly entrench himself as a nuisance in the early rounds of tournaments, capable of beating even top 10 and top 20 players at times.
Andy Murray 2022 Year in Review
Momentum from 2021
Murray had good momentum entering the 2022 season, as he had managed to stay on court for all of the second half of 2021. Missing time due to small injuries had held him back since 2019, but he seemed to get past that problem by midway through last season, though he hadn’t yet managed to climb back into the top 100. The question was whether that good health would continue into the new year, and whether there was more ground to be gained in level of play and in ranking. A top-notch match against Stefanos Tsitsipas at the U.S. Open last year—made all the more prominent because of some controversy—spoke of the potential still latent in Murray’s game and offered tantalizing promise to fans of what the aging Brit might still be able to accomplish.
Starting Off Well
Murray quickly began to justify his fans’ hopes by reaching the final of Sydney in January, although an early retirement by David Goffin in Round 3 helped conserve some of Murray’s energy to allow his push to the final, which ended up as a not-very-competitive loss to Aslan Karatsev. But the tournament was a win for Murray’s comeback nonetheless, and his best showing since Antwerp.
The early part of the season also saw him log victories over five top 40 opponents, including Denis Shapovalov and the big serving Reilly Opelka. And by the start of grass season—Murray’s specialty—he was back will inside the top 100.
Grass Court Success
Murray was predictably dangerous on grass. The Brit is easily one of the most experienced and accomplished players in the world on the surface, a surface that gets little attention these days and which can be an open door to success against otherwise top-level competition for the few who do have experience on it.
The highlight of the season (both the grass season and 2022 overall) was undoubtedly Stuttgart, which saw Murray avenge his US Open loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas. The win gained Murray a victory over the #5 player in the world—incredibly, his first top 5 win since he destroyed the field at the ATP Finals in 2016, when he himself was #1. He followed the Tsitsipas victory with a win over the resurgent Nick Kyrgios, who is very dangerous on grass, and finished with a good showing in a loss to Matteo Berrettini in the finals. Grass was Murray’s best opportunity to make strides in the rankings and to show that he was still relevant, and he did not disappoint.
Conclusion
The final tally for Murray’s 2022 season was 26-19, an unhyped yet incredible feat for a player with a metal hip. There were times when Murray expressed discouragement with early exits in tournaments, but overall his ability to stay on court throughout the season, and to continue to reach a top 10 or 20 level at times, as well as having climbed back inside the front half of the top 100, must be an encouragement to Murray for his prospects in 2023. The offseason will give him an opportunity to reflect on what his post-surgery game now looks like, having a complete and healthy season by which to judge, and that could lead to a full strategy of how to rise to an even higher level in light of his body’s new limitations.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
