Andy Murray, the current world No. 1 player of the ATP circuit will start his US Open Series campaign by making his return at Rogers Cup, in Canada. Last year, he skipped the first Masters 1000 event of the summer swing as he got involved with the Olympics in Rio. After a two-years break, the 30-year-old tennis star will return to Canada where he won the title three times in the past. His last success occurred back in 2015 when he edged Novak Djokovic in three sets while the first two successes happened in consecutive seasons back in 2009 ( he defeated del Potro in the final) and 2010 ( he surpassed Roger Federer).
Struggling with form and injury for the most part of the current season, Murray is still the highest ranked player and he will have a good chance to consolidate his status by making a deep run in Montreal.
Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal battling for the title
Yesterday, Stan Wawrinka put in a statement announcing that he won't compete at Rogers Cup or in Cincinnati. Thus, 2016 US Open champion leaves an open field for other to thrive. As the No. 1 seed in the tournament, Andy Murray won't have to worry about Federer or Nadal until the semifinals. He has nothing to defend from last which is another crucial part of the following weeks.
Wawrinka and Djokovic ( 2016 Rogers Cup champion) are the biggest absences of the main draw but the compensation ratio includes Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal as top competitors.
Both Rafael Nadal (2 ATP) and Roger Federer (3 ATP) are closing the gap pretty fast aiming to surpass Andy Murray. While Nadal totally crushed his rivals during the clay court swing, Federer made almost zero mistakes on the hard or the grass court. They do have the momentum on their side, especially Federer who hasn't lost a set since Stuttgart.
Murray deserves some better numbers this season
The current season saw Murray's pace constantly fading away. Having not a single significant success under his belt might raise some question as seven months of this season have already passed. He won a single ATP event and that was in Dubai at an ATP 500 level event. When it comes to the big ones, his best result to date is that semifinal at the French Open.
Overall, his 2017 record is 25-10 which is rather suitable to an average player. But all know that Murray can do better and why not pressing the reset button on the North American cement.The questions marks revolve mostly around that hip injury that ended the Wimbledon campaign.
