Wildcard for Andy Murray of Great Britain in the Australian Open 2021 – he has received a main-draw wildcard as the former world No.1 is looking to kickstart his 2021 campaign with renewed momentum and hopes to reclaim his spot on the top of professional tennis.
Murray is ranked equal 5th for the most singles matchups – 48 – won in the Open Era at the Aussie Open and is a popular fan favourite in Melbourne.
His incredible bounce back from a damaged hip followed by a major surgery was capped by winning the ATP Antwerp title in October 2019, and the 3-time Grand Slam champion has played just 8 singles matches since that memorable result.
He enjoyed some spotlight matches in 2020, including the one where he toppled the 7th-ranked Alexander Zverev to reach the 3rd round at the Western & Southern Open, and a compelling 5-set win over Yoshihito Nishioka in the priliminary round of the US Open.
The 5-time Australian Open finalist, is planning to be more consistent in 2021 as the hip issue has been dealt with. To kick start his 2021 he has been awared a main-draw wildcard at the ATP event in Delray Beach commencing on 7 January.
In the words of Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley “We welcome Andy back to Melbourne with open arms. As a 5-time finalist he has been an vital part of so many memorable matches and storylines in the history of the Australian Open. His retirement was an heart-whelming moment and seeing him bounce back, having undergone major surgery and built himself back up to get onto the tour again, will be a highlight of AO 2021. We wish him all the best and look forward to seeing him in 2021.”
Murray is one of 8 main draw wildcard recipients to be announced. The others who have received wildcards are Thanasi Kokkinakis (SA), Alex Bolt (SA), Aleksandar Vukic (NSW), Destanee Aiava (Vic) and Arina Rodionova (Vic).
Wang Xiyu of China and India’s Sumit Nagal will also compete in the main draw after being named recipients of the tournament’s Asia-Pacific wildcards.
Many other players have also received a wildcard into Australian Open 2021 qualifying, which will be held in Dubai (women’s qualifiers) and Doha (men’s qualifiers) between 10-13 January, with the women competing in Dubai and the men in Doha.
The wildcard recepients in the Australian Open qualifying leg are Jason Kubler (Qld), Akira Santillan (Qld), Tristan Schoolkate (WA), Rinky Hijikata (NSW), Dane Sweeny (Qld), Seone Mendez (NSW), Abbie Myers (NSW), Storm Sanders (WA), Ivana Popovic (NSW), Olivia Gadecki (Qld), Charlotte Kempenars-Pocz (SA) and Alexandra Bozovic (NSW).
Source: ausopen.com
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