STUTTGART/STARNBERG, June 7, 2022
Ahead of his debut at the BOSS Open, Briton Andy Murray met the media representatives on Monday in Stuttgart. The two-time Wimbledon champion will compete in his first grass-court tournament outside the United Kingdom since 2005 Newport, United States.
“That was a long time ago. I don’t know yet how different it will feel, but I’ve only heard good things about the courts here and about Stuttgart. My brother has competed here several times in doubles and has told me a few things,” said Murray, who opened his grass-court campaign on home soil at the Surbiton Trophy last week. The 35-year-old lost in the semi-finals to US-American Denis Kudla.
“I played four matches at the ATP Challenger in Surbiton last week. It was good tennis, but the courts were different there. More old school – flatter bounce, faster pace. But it was a good start into the grass-court season and hopefully I can continue like that here,” Murray said.
The World No. 86 will play his first match at the Tennis Club Weissenhof on Tuesday against Australian qualifier Christopher O’Connell.
“He played well in Australia earlier in the season. I beat him in Dubai but it was a tough and close match. So it won’t be easy.”
Asked about his goals for the upcoming weeks before Wimbledon, Murray replied: “I want to play as many matches as possible and improve compared to last week. You don’t always have control over the outcome of a match, but I can control other things like my preparation and stuff like that. That is my goal.”
His prize money for the rest of the year will go to a good cause. “I donate my prize money to UNICEF, an organization I’ve been working with for a couple of years,” said Murray. “What is happening in Ukraine right now is terrible. Children have to flee their homes, are separated from their families or even killed. I can’t do much, but I try to give at least something back to help the people of Ukraine. Exactly what happens to the money varies, but UNICEF knows best what to do with it. The situation is always changing. But the money is there to help the families.”
