Andy Murray Loses to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Abu Dhabi

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 27th December 2013

Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi

Andy Murray Loses to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Abu Dhabi

epa04001649 Andy Murray of Britain serves the ball to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France during their match at the first day of Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 26 December 2013. EPA/ALI HAIDER |

Nobody was less surprised that Andy Murray’s first tennis match back after undergoing back surgery on September was a loss than the Wimbledon champion himself.

The world no.4 has repeatedly stated that his initial expectations of victory are low and the most important thing is getting back to the swing of match play against top-flight opposition. So there was no sense of disappointment as Murray lost out 7-5 6-3 in his first match at the exhibition Mubadela World Championship in Abu Dhabi to France’s tenth ranked Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

In fact Murray viewed the exercise as very much a positive and enthused: “I didn’t feel slow at all. You want to play your best, but you need to be realistic and patient. I moved well in the first set especially once I got into the rallies.

“In the second I slowed down slightly, but that’s something that is going to get better by playing matches. I can’t expect to feel great for long periods of matches straightaway.

“But it was a good workout. I was hitting the ball OK, moving well for the most part and that is the most important thing. I just need to be able to do it for a longer period. I just felt like I hadn’t played a match for a while.”

Murray will play again later today against Stanislas Wawrinka, the player who ended the Scot’s US Open title defense in New York but a 7-5, 6-1 loser to world no.3 David Ferrer in day one of the Abu Dhabi exhibition. Murray will then make the short air trip up the Arabian Gulf to Doha where he is scheduled to make his return to the ATP World Tour at next week’s ExxonMobil Qatar Open.

Tsonga had previously lost all but one of his nine ATP meetings with Murray. “It’s not often I take two sets off Andy, even in practice,” said the Frenchman, who himself has been struggling with a knee injury.

Topics: 10sballs, Andy Murray, Atp World Tour, David Ferrer, Jo Wilfried Tsonga, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, Wimbledon