After reaching the world no. 1 spot at the end of last year, Andy Murray suffered one major letdown being unable to sustain an elevated pace during the first part of this season. Reaching the last four stages at Roland Garros is his biggest achievement of 2017, a thin one given his standards.
Now that the clay court swing is over, Andy Murray must focus on regaining his inner balance. Entering the grass season, the world no. 1 sees his seat targeted somehow unexpected by Rafael Nadal who is surging to the top of the ranking especially after his triumph at the French Open.
While the Spaniard will enter the grass season with nothing to worry about, Murray should keep a close eye on those ranking points. He is the defending champion at Queen's and Wimbledon. These two tournaments combined give 2500 points to defend over the next five weeks.
Andy Murray returns to action next week
The grass session is already making waves having two events in play this week in Stuttgart and s-Hertogenbosch. The world no. 1 is having a free week following the clay court swing schedule. He is set to resume playing next week at one of his favorite tournaments. It's an ATP 500 event gathering numerous big names from the ATP circuit.
Throughout his career, Andy Murray won it on five different occasions (2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016) winning each time he reached the final.
Last year, he got past Milos Raonic at the end of three tight sets. The Canadian was a set and a break up in the second act but was unable to hold off Murray. The same duel occurred in Wimbledon final few weeks later, and again Murray was the one claiming the title.
According to the official page of the tournament, this year's edition includes several ATP stars.
Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka, Milos Raonic, Marin Cilic and others are expected to produce some worth-watching tennis.
Wimbledon remains the ultimate challenge
Despite being at the top for nearly a decade, when it comes to Grand Slam success, Murray got a fair share only at Wimbledon. It's the only Grand Slam where he succeeded twice over the years.
Having only three Major under his belt (the same as Stan Wawrinka), Murray could improve his numbers by a successful defense at Wimbledon.
As a defending champion, the expectations are high. Moreover, it would be the perfect place to make a statement as a world no. 1 seat holder. But he won't be alone in this race as Roger Federer is also aiming this particular event to make an impact after spending few months far from the tennis field.
