Andy Murray signs up for doubles tournament in unlikely pairing with top 10 star
Andy Murray had already signed up to play singles at the upcoming Brisbane International, but he has now also added the doubles tournament to his schedule.
Murray has signed up to play with singles No.8 Holger Rune in Brisbane, in a first-time pairing between the duo that are 16 years apart in age.
The Brit only played one doubles tournament in 2023, reaching the quarter-finals of the Washington Open alongside compatriot Dan Evans.
GBR Rises to the top! ??@andy_murray / Evans defeat Krajicek / Pavic 6-3, 6-4 to advance to round 2! #MubadalaCitiDCOpen pic.twitter.com/59r0wlisll
— Mubadala Citi DC Open (@mubadalacitidc) July 31, 2023
Murray’s inactivity on the doubles court has left his ranking at No.573, however it appears that the former No.1 is looking to improve that in 2024.
Rune also does not play doubles on a regular basis, playing only six matches this year and actually has a lower ranking than Murray of No.579.
Not only have they never competed alongside each other in doubles before, Murray has also not played Rune in an official singles match.
Their only previous meeting came in an exhibition match earlier this year prior to Wimbledon, with the Dane beating Murray, 6-4 6-4.
Murray praised the 20-year-old after that match, “He’s one of the top players in the world so you know exactly where your game’s at, which things to work on.”
Rune has since started working with former No.1 Boris Becker, as they look to continue that partnership into 2024.
Other teams in the Brisbane International doubles tournament, that begins on 31st December, include top seeds Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni, Sebastian Korda and Grigor Dimitrov, and Ben Shelton and Ugo Humbert.
Inside the baseline…
Andy Murray is not known for his doubles achievement, but is certainly very capable having played a big part in Great Britain’s Davis Cup achievements alongside his brother Jamie. The motivation behind this decision to play with Holger Rune is still unknown, however it could potentially be linked to qualifying for the Paris Olympics.
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Andy Murray Doubles Achievements
Although singles is where Murray has focussed his attention over the years, we at Tennishead wanted to look at some of his doubles achievements:
Career-high ranking: No.51
ATP Titles: 3
- Valencia Open (ATP 500) with Jamie Murray (2010)
- Japan Open (ATP 500) with Jamie Murray (2011)
- Queen’s Club (ATP 500) with Feliciano Lopez (2016)
Other Achievements: Olympics Mixed Doubles Silver medal with Laura Robson (London 2012)
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