Andy Murray returned to the tennis courts at the ATP Challenger event in Bordeaux and won, earning his first clay win in 2024.
The last time the British player stood on a tennis court was back in Miami when he was battling Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic. The Brit gave a really solid performance and was on top for a good portion of that match.
He started to suffer towards the end because he was dealing with an ankle problem that was later diagnosed as a serious injury. There was even mention of a possible surgery, though Murray came out and denied that pretty quickly.
He missed several weeks of tennis only to return with a late-night match in Bordeaux on clay. He faced native player Kyrian Jacquet, so it was obviously not going to be an easy match for him.
The young French player had the backing of the crowd, but fans were happy to see Murray back on the court as well. The first set was quite competitive, as neither player really managed to break through.
Murray ultimately found a way to win by applying heavy pressure on his opponent, which culminated in chances towards the end of the set. He missed out on the first break point he had but converted the next time around to finish off the set, winning it 7-5.
The second set opened with an early break for Murray, as the Brit was in full control and his opponent struggled. In the next game, Jacquet jumped out to a 40-15 lead on Murray's serve, but the Brit held his nerve and serve to make it 2-0.
It was then that Jacquet opted to retire from the match, clearly struggling physically. It was a solid introductory match for Murray on clay, though he like would have preferred to win outright and not via retirement.
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