Andy Murray returned to the grass courts and it's going be a hugely important stretch for him and his future in tennis.
This surface is the one where he could still best probably the overwhelming majority of tennis players and it's mainly due to his experience. Grass has a learning curve and the more you play on it the better you are. There are only a few players on the ATP Tour who played more matches on the surface as Murray did, and that's an advantage for him.
It started for him in Surbiton this week but the clear goal is Wimbledon. It's an event where he could go to the second week and that's a goal for him. It also means that he needs to pick and choose his spots like he did when he gave up on Roland Garros for an early start on grass. Ahead of his return to grass courts, former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli talked about the Brit.
He's coming to a stage of his career when he has to pick and choose. He just can't play everything and we all know clay has been the toughest surface for Andy, especially when you're coming back from hip surgery. I think he's right to give his body a little break after winning a Challenger title on clay which was very positive for him.
The clay court season was overall a negative for him but he can still take some positives from the clay season according to Bartoli. He'll also have time to properly prepare for Wimbledon due to the amount of time he'll be on the grass before the event.
I think he made the right decision in skipping the French Open because if he keeps on playing, he just won't have enough time for the build-up to Wimbledon. For him, he wants to put on a beautiful show for the fans and he wants to perform at his best because that it his tournament.
You need to give your body some time off and rest, then redo some training blocks and get ready for the grass so all of that requires time and I think he's definitely making the right decision. If you don't have that passion anymore or your body doesn't allow you to train anymore, then everything becomes more difficult. I think age is just a number.
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