Already in New York (according to his official Facebook page), it seems that Andy Murray will be in the main draw of 2017 Us Open Tennis Championships, the last Major of the current season. The former world No. 1 and three times Grand Slam titlist, the 30-year-old Brit has been through a difficult period recently. US Open will also mark his first ATP level appearance since losing in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon to Sam Querrey. Murray was forced to skip the entire North American summer swing due to a hip injury, a decision that had great consequences as he went on losing the world No.
1 seat to Rafael Nadal after Cincinnati.
It's been a strange year for men's tennis, especially at the top where some of the most relevant names of the past few years were forced to call a hasty end to their schedule for 2017. Djokovic, Wawrinka, and Nishikori won't be resuming action earlier than January 2018. Moreover, Cilic, Raonic, and Federer had their own issues. 2017 Wimbledon runner-up Marin Cilic was also forced to skip the entire US Open warm-up session. Raonic and Federer withdrew from Cincinnati. Now, the US Open is days away, and there is a strange sense of uncertainty roaming around.
Andy Murray and his chances at US Open
Currently ranked second in the world with only five points above Roger Federer's slot, Andy Murray will be the second seed in New York.
Two days from now, the main draw ceremony will take place, and Murray will find his possible trajectory towards another Grand Slam final. He may be coming after an injury and a time off, but the draw can put him on a favorable draw. Moreover, he will enter the contest without having too much to carry out in the expectations department.
While Federer, Zverev, and Nadal may be in the upper drawer of favorites, Murray can quietly navigate his way deeper into the tournament.
If the luck will stand by his side, he will avoid a confrontation with either Federer or Nadal before the final. Of course, there is also Alexander Zverev, Dimitrov or even Nick Kyrgios who may want a part of the pie but those players are lacking experience when it comes to handling the big ATP tournaments.
There are certain risks too
With no warm-up event under his belt, Andy Murray may not be entitled to hope for a long run at Flushing Meadows. Moreover, that recent injury on his hip may not be 100% cured. There are questions and risks to be taken into consideration. Last year, Murray reached the quarter-finals before losing to Kei Nishikori in five sets. Entering the Asian leg of 2016, Murray has started quite a winning streak capturing five titles in a row, including two Masters 1000 and the ATP Finals in London.
