"The best I’ve felt for a long time" - Murray ready for Indian Wells

| by Sebastian Dahlman

Andy Murray will kick off his 2023 Indian Wells BNP Paribas Open campaign and he seems to be content with his current form.

In recent weeks, Murray played in the final of the 2023 Qatar Open, where he lost to Daniil Medvedev, before pulling out of the 2023 Dubai Championships to prepare for the Sunshine Double and the first two ATP 1000 events in the calendar.

It seems that preparations went well for the experienced Scot, who wants to have a deep run in Indian Wells, where he played the final in 2009 and semifinals in 2007 and 2015. In Miami, the three-time Grand Slam champion triumphed twice, in 2009 and 2013, and he's aware that he can do well in these events.

“I want to have deep runs in these events. That hasn’t happened in a couple years. I do feel like I’m playing well enough to do that now. I feel like physically this is the best I’ve felt for a long time so if I do have to play three or four matches in a few days, I believe that I’m able to do that and still play at a high level."

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The 35-year-old former world no. 1 compared his current form and physical preparation with his past form and he knows it's much better.

“Even 18 months or two years ago, when that was happening, I didn’t feel like I was recovering as well. [My] body [might’ve] been a bit sore and a bit tired, but I’ve worked really hard to get back to this point and I trust that I’m ready to have a good run at some stage.”

Speaking about the Sunshine Double, two of the most prestigious non-Grand Slam events in the ATP calendar, he said:

“I’ve always enjoyed coming back here. At this stage of my career, you want to make the most of every chance you get to play in these sorts of events. You never know when it will be the last time. Definitely try to take it all in.”

In the first round of the 2023 Indian Wells BNP Paribas Open, Murray will begin against Tomas Martin Etcheverry, who is coming from a final run at the 2023 Chile Open in Santiago.

If he makes it to the third round, there's a 66% chance that he'll face a fellow Brit as Jack Draper will take on Swiss player Leandro Riedi in the first round, with the winner meeting the 24th-seeded Daniel Evans. Speaking ahead of possible meeting, Murray said:

“There’s a lot of Brits in my section of the draw but I’d have to win two tough matches to get there. Let’s see what happens.”

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