Andy Murray to get grass season underway at Surbiton against Rodionov

Andy Murray will start his grass-court season at the 2022 Surbiton Challenger, and the draw for the event has been released.

Murray skipped almost the entire clay season, only taking a wild card into Madrid, where he won a couple of matches before withdrawing from the tournament because of illness ahead of his scheduled round-of-16 bout against rival Novak Djokovic.

The Brit has been home ever since then, preparing for the grass swing, where he hopes to play some good tennis before the hard court season continues in North America.

Murray chose not to compete at Roland Garros but will instead be at Surbiton, where he will face Jurij Rodionov on Monday in the first round. While some of his peers are looking to win the clay-court Grand Slam, the former World No. 1 will be competing in the ATP's second tier.

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But the Challenger event is a strong one and one of the most prestigious on the calendar at that level. A host of players who exited the French Open in the first week are getting ready for Wimbledon by playing some matches early.

Murray has never faced against Rodionov in the past, but it should be an interesting affair as the Austrian player has a big serve that will serve him well on grass. The event starts tomorrow, with Murray set to headline the opening day.

Surbiton is relatively close to Murray's home in Oxshott, and he knows the facilities and courts well. The Scotsman has always played his best tennis on grass, winning Wimbledon on two occasions.

Murray is also slated to play at Queen's next month in a bid to get himself in perfect shape for another crack at Wimbledon.

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