Andy Murray Is Back For Battle Of The Brits
Locker Room
May 29, 2020
Andy Murray will return to competitive action on June 23rd.
The long wait is almost over!
Murray will take part in a six-day tournament organised by his brother Jamie.
And the whole country is buzzing with expectation!
This will be Andy’s first big test since November, when he played against the Dutch in the Davis Cup.
So you can imagine how much Murray will want to win on home soil.
Andy will be desperate to show how close he is to his very best.
Can he be instant domestic top-dog again?
We’ll find out when he takes on the best of British between June 23 and June 28.
The venue is just a stone’s throw from Wimbledon, where Murray hopes to play again next summer.
Dan Evans and Kyle Edmund have also signed up for the tournament. So this is going to be a quality field.
It’ll be known as the “Schroders Battle of the Brits” – and takes place at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton.
Jamie Murray has done a sensational job to give his brother this comeback platform as early as June.
And the event will raise a minimum of £100,000 for NHS charities too!
No wonder Judy Murray said on Twitter: ‘Well done Jamie, putting this event together in just five weeks, along with the wonderful Mary Greenham, agent of @Martina. So impressive.’
Others will hope to steal at least some of the limelight. Evans and Edmund are sure to provide formidable opposition for the Scottish superstar.
But Andy Murray wouldn’t want it any other way.
The added bonus for tennis fans is that all the matches will be screened live on Amazon Prime in the UK.
A total of eight British men will fight for supremacy behind closed doors.
Six doubles teams will add to the entertainment and give Jamie Murray a chance to shine too.
Supporters won’t be able to cheer on their favourite players in person.
But you can bet they will be kept on the edge of their seats when they watch the Prime action on their chosen screens.
Andy Murray is still pure box office. He is a household name with a huge following.
These are early comeback days for our favourite sportsman. But Wimbledon 2021 will be at the back of everyone’s mind.
Fans will hope to see their hero moving freely again after all his hip problems.
That way they’ll be able to imagine Murray doing great things on the grass at the All England Club next summer.
Murray knows this is just the first step to making that Wimbledon 2021 dream come true.
At the same time he will want to shake off any ring-rust sooner rather than later.
Indeed he may only have a few days’ rest after Jamie’s tournament before he faces the heat of domestic battle once more.
The LTA is launching its own British Tour events from July 3.
They will last most of the month as British tennis seeks to show that one year without Wimbledon isn’t the end of the world.
The LTA will stage several three-day events up until July 26.
Their events will feature the 16 best British men and the 16 best women too – at least the highest-ranked players who want to take part.
So Murray can expect to come up against Evans and Edmund once more.
And it means another British favourite, Jo Konta will enjoy the chance to shake off the cobwebs in July too.
When Konta is on-song, she looks virtually unstoppable. But other Brits will feel they are closing the gap.
So the entertainment in the women’s tournaments this summer should also be something to behold.
Of course we all know this isn’t the same as having Wimbledon to go to. But it’s a start.
LTA chief executive Scott Lloyd explained: ‘I’m delighted to announce the next stage of elite tennis’s return to competing safely behind closed doors as part of a five-phase plan coordinated by UK Sport and Government.’
Whether Jamie Murray or the LTA is the ringmaster, it’s going to be great to see the British players in gladiatorial action once more.
We will enjoy the home tournaments and be patient in our wait for big-time international tennis.
Next summer in sunny England the recovery will be complete when Wimbledon 2021 takes centre stage.
The protagonists will have what they crave as much as anything – Wimbledon crowds to roar and react to everything they do.
For now, the Murray brothers are planning quite a show.
Looking forward to it as much as we are?