Murray To Enter Another Challenger Clay Event To Improve Declining Form

| by Alex Waite

Andy Murray will not take a rest from clay court season just yet as the Brit received a wildcard entry to the upcoming Aix-en-Provence ATP Challenger event.

Murray has endured a troubling start to the 2023 clay court season and his disappointing run continued with a first-round defeat at the Madrid Open against Andrea Vavassori. The early exit followed a poor showing at the Monte Carlo Masters, where the 35-year-old crashed out after a straight sets loss against Alex de Minaur.

In a bid to improve his form and regain some consistency to his game, Murray will compete at the Aix-en-Provence ATP Challenger, which begins on Monday, May 1. Journalist James Gray confirmed Murray's entrance via Twitter and said the three-time Grand Slam champion will compete on a wildcard.

Murray Wants To Play Roland Garros Because He May Not Get Another Opportunity
Murray Wants To Play Roland Garros Because He May Not Get Another Opportunity

"No rest for Andy Murray - and he is staying on the clay, for now. He has been given a wildcard for the Aix-en-Provence ATP Challenger event which starts next week."

It is likely that Murray is targeting the Challenger event at the beginning of May as he aims to get ready for the 2023 Roland Garros, which begins on Sunday, May 28. Murray recently expressed his desire to compete again at Roland Garros this season as it may be his last chance to enter the competition. It's already his second entrance to the ATP Challenger event, as earlier this week he signed up for a tournament in Bordeaux.

However, the 35-year-old has not featured at the French Open since 2020, where he entered on a wildcard and was eliminated in the first round by Stan Wawrinka. The former world number one's best performance at Roland Garros came in 2016 when he reached the final but eventually lost against Novak Djokovic.

2023 Open Aix Provence ATP Challenger Entry List:

Seed Name  Seeding Ranking Entry Ranking
1 Richard Gasquet 43 43
2 Brandon Nakashima 44 44
3 Adrian Mannarino 46 47
4 Mikael Ymer 50 51
5 Roberto Carballes Baena 53 49
6 Alexander Bublik 55 53
7 Gregoire Barrere 56 57
8 Tomas Martin Etcheverry 59 59
Albert Ramos-Vinolas 60 50
Marcos Giron 61 67
Jason Kubler 63 70
Quentin Halys 66 66
Cristian Garin 73 84
Nuno Borges 74 63
Luca Van Assche 86 88
Alexandre Muller 94 96
David Goffin 95 85
Roman Safiullin 112 104
Otto Virtanen 114 114
Jurij Rodionov 119 119
Arthur Fils 124 122
Andy Murray (WC)
(WC)
(WC)
(Q)
(Q)
(Q)
(Q)
Murray Suffers Another Early Exit On Clay & Extends Losing Streak To 4 Matches
Murray Suffers Another Early Exit On Clay & Extends Losing Streak To 4 Matches

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