Tennis superstar Andy Murray has been announced to be playing at this year's edition of ATP 's-Hertogenbosch. The three-time Grand Slam Champion will be making his debut at the Dutch event as he has no previous appearances at the tournament. The s-Hertogenbosch event is one of a couple of grass events which can be found on the ATP calendar. The tournament is played in the opening week of the grass-court season. This year's edition of 's-Hertogenbosch will be taking place from the 11th to 17th of June.
Murray to make a return before Queen's
Murray hasn't played a tournament since Wimbledon in 2017.
The three-time Grand Slam champion is currently recovering from a hip surgery he eventually underwent this past January. The Scot, now ranked at No. 29 in the world, said after the surgery that he wants to return at the Queen's Club. However, since Murray's recovery has been going extremely well so far, he is now expected to return to action even before Queen's. The Queen's event takes place the week after 's-Hertogenbosch -- from the 18th to 24th of June.
Splurging on Murray
The 's-Hertogenbosch organizers have reportedly paid a hefty price to land the services of Murray. Per Stuart Fraser, the Scot will "receive a six-figure appearance fee for playing in 's-Hertogenbosch." The Dutch grass-court event featured one of the biggest rising stars of the game, Alexander Zverev, last year.
2014 US Open champion and two-time Grand Slam runner-up Marin Cilic also appeared in s-Hertogenbosch last year. The organizers have done a major job of securing three-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1 Murray for this year's event as they will now certainly be eager to add more big names to their 2018 player lineup.
We are happy to announce our new name: Libéma Open!
— Libéma Open🎾 (@LibemaOpen) March 29, 2018
There is more great news: @andy_murray is coming to Rosmalen! 🎾🙌 #LibemaOpen pic.twitter.com/ggjnh1egYP
Andy Murray will receive a six-figure appearance fee for playing in s-Hertogenbosch. Unlikely at the moment that he will play the Surbiton Challenger the week before. https://t.co/obx9MZZ8S6
— Stuart Fraser (@stu_fraser) March 29, 2018
Analysis
The grass surface is not the ideal surface for a player returning from hip surgery.
It is a challenging surface as it requires lots of movement and quick positioning on the court -- all of that could be a problem for a player with a damaged hip. However, it could all still end well for grass-court specialist. The Scot enjoys playing on grass as he is a two-time Wimbledon and a record five-time Queen's Club champion. He also claimed the 2012 London Olympics gold -- when the grass surface was used at the event. Murray will need to be fully healthy come June and July as he is due to have a loaded grass season schedule since he is now expected to play on the grass of 's-Hertogenbosch, Queen's, and Wimbledon.
