World No.2 Andy Murray will kick-off his 2017 season at the Doha Open for the first time since 2014.
The Brit will make a return to the tournament after spending the past two years participating in the Hopman Cup, an exhibition event featuring mixed teams. Murray is a former two-time winner at the event after claiming back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009. In his most recent appearance in 2014, the 29-year-old suffered a shock second round loss to Germany’s Florian Mayer.
Addressing his plans for the start of next year following his Shanghai victory, Murray has once again pledged his commitment for the Davis Cup. Great Britain will travel to Canada for their first round tie in the world group. The meeting will occur just five days after the climax of the Australian Open.
“I still plan on playing Davis Cup next year,’ said Murray, according to The Daily Mail. ‘From what I’ve heard, it looks like it’s going to be in Vancouver which isn’t actually too bad a trip from Melbourne.
‘But I’ll see how the end of this year goes and then decide on my schedule for the beginning of the year because I’m not set on exactly where I’m playing after Australia and before Dubai [at the end of February].’
Murray’s plan comes as he chases after the world No.1 ranking position. This season he has already won six titles, including the Wimbledon trophy and a gold medal at the Olympic Games. Murray could achieve the world No.1 milestone within the next month if he wins both the Vienna Open and Paris Masters (as long as Djokovic failed to reach the final). Despite edging closer towards the landmark, the Brit recently revealed that he feels his best chance of dethroning Novak Djokovic will be next year.
“I think there is an opportunity at the early part of next year because I didn’t play any tournaments in February because of the baby coming and I didn’t play well during Indian Wells and Miami. That will be the time of the year where I don’t have many points to defend and have the chance to do it (reach No.1).” Said Murray during an interview with Sky Sports UK.
As the rankings currently stand, Murray trails Djokovic by 2415 points.
