Andy Murray will be back in action and looking to end a recent slump when he takes the court against Tomas Machac on Tuesday in Marseille. The first-round schedule also includes a meeting between Jiri Lehecka and David Goffin.
Tomas Machac vs. Andy Murray
Is the end near for Murray? By his own admission, that could be the case as he heads into his fourth tournament of the season–the Open 13–with a winless record (0-3). The 36-year-old Scot lost right away in Brisbane (Grigor Dimitrov), at the Australian Open (Tomas Martin Etcheverry), and in Montpellier (Benoit Paire), each result more alarming than the previous one.
Murray will try to end his skid against Machac, who is at the opposite end of the career spectrum and currently trending in the other direction. The 23-year-old Czech is just two spots off his best-ever ranking at No. 66 in the world. Among his 2024 results are a second-round showing in Brisbane as a qualifier and a third-round performance at the Aussie Open. Machac is a great athlete and an outstanding defensive player, so Murray–especially in his current state–is going to have a tough time finishing points. Look for the former world No. 1’s woes to continue.
Pick: Machac in 3
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(8) Jiri Lehecka vs. (Q) David Goffin
Lehecka and Goffin will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers on Tuesday. Both of their previous encounters have gone Goffin’s way; 6-4, 6-3 at the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters and 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 a few weeks later at Roland Garros.
A change of surface and even more importantly a two-year removal from those results probably means a different outcome is in the cards. Like Murray, Goffin has fallen upon hard times in the latter stages of his career. The 33-year-old Belgian has plunged to 134th in the rankings and has won just a single ATP-level match since Wimbledon last summer. Goffin did well to qualify for the Marseille main draw, but Lehecka represents a big step up in competition. The 22-year-old Czech is up to No. 32 in the world and already has an ATP title under his belt this season in Adelaide. Count on Lehecka cruising into round two.
Pick: Lehecka in 2
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Murray is just using tennis to stay fit and travel until he decides what he wants to do in the next stage of his career. It gives him and his family something to do.
If that was true why does he hate losing so much
He wants to make it to one more Wimbledon, even if he is hobbling in.
There, he will feel the love.