A Murray Might Play London

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 15th October 2013

A Murray Might Play London

epa01495145 Great Britain's Jamie Murray hits a forehand during the doubles match in the Davis Cup World Group play-off match between Great Britain and Austria at the All England Club, Wimbledon, London, England, 20 September, 2008. EPA/JONATHAN BRADY |

There just might be a Murray contesting the upcoming Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London after all . Wimbledon champion Andy is a definite non-starter after admitting he needs more time to recuperate from back surgery but elder brother Jamie is very much in the doubles mix after an impressive run of form with Australian John Peers.

The duo and now placed joint tenth in the race for one of the eight places available at the London 02 Arena and closing on the teams above them with each week that goes by.

Last week the Murray/Peers combination had to be content with a semi-final exit in the Shanghai Rolex Masters, losing out in the tightest of encounters 7-6,7-6 with the Spanish duo of David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco. But the currently eighth placed Polish tandem of Mariusz Fyrstenburg and Marcin Matkowski certainly within their sights.

“It’s definitely achievable and with the results we have been getting just lately, we quietly fancy our chances,” said Murray whose individual ranking has spiraled up from the nether regions of the doubles top 100 when he linked up with Pears to a current position of 34.

Yet given the results the pair have been achieving together, that’s hardly surprising. Their first title together came on American clay in Houston back in April, where they beat the world no.1 partnership of Bob and Mike Bryan in the final. There was more silverware just before Wimbledon on the grass of Nottingham and soon they were enjoying more success winning the alpine Swiss title at Gstaad.

Consistency has been their trademark in the last three weeks of the autumnal Asian swing. There was a third title in Bangkok followed by a final appearance last week in Tokyo and it was only two closely fought tie-breaks that denied them in Shanghai, saving five match points before finally succumbing to the hostile Spanish duo who won 7-6,7-6 to go forward to today’s final against Croatia’s Ivan Dodig and Brazilian Marcelo Melo.

“You could view it as a good chance wasted but we are on a tremendous roll at the moment and we can’t expect to win every match,” said Murray. “So we are not going to let any negativity into our thinking as we set off to play in Vienna next week, then Valencia and finally Paris before hopefully qualifying for London which is the obvious aim.

“What makes things click between us? It’s hard to quantify. We have got different styles on court and each have our own way of winning points, which is a good thing. There are different strengths and weaknesses. I don’t know particularly why we have hit it off and there’ no magic formula. If there was everyone would do it but all I know is something has been working for us.

“We are enjoying playing together. We get along together off it. We are happy, we are confident and it’s helping us play good tennis.”

Perhaps the compatibility comes from the fact that Peers, like Murray, comes from a tennis family. His mother, the former Elizabeth Little contested three of the four Grand Slams while younger sister Sally contests the WTA circuit and won a Gold Medal at doubles and a Bronze at singles in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

The natural assumption in the case of Murray is to think his brother’s historic success at Wimbledon provided the spur to succeed in his own right. But such a suggestion is met with a blank look and a shake of the head.

“No, not really,” said Jamie who watched Andy’s triumph on a computer feed in a Stuttgart hotel. “Obviously it’s an amazing thing that he won, absolutely incredible. I was so happy for him and it was such a relief for all of us in the family because we know what he puts himself through.

“However I would just say his success and my upturn in form, is a fascinating coincidence. Maybe sub consciously I’m trying that little bit harder but I’m certainly not using it as a motivational tool. John and I have just been working hard to develop our partnership and it’s rewarding that things have been paying off in the last two or three months.”

Topics: 10sballs, Andy Murray, Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, Bob Bryan, Fernando Verdasco, Mike Bryan, Shanghai, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, Wimbledon