Former world No.1 Andy Murray will finalise his preparations for the new season with a brief training block in Abu Dhabi over the next couple days.
According to a report by The Telegraph, the Brit is set to conduct a few days of practice before flying to Australia. Murray will be in the city at the same time as the Mubadala World Tennis Championship gets underway. An exhibition event that has won on two previous occasions. He will not be playing in this year’s tournament, which is celebrating their tenth anniversary.
Murray hasn’t played a competitive match on the tour since Wimbledon after ending his season early due to a hip injury. He tried to stage a comeback at the US Open, but was forced to withdraw just two days before the tournament started.
It is unclear as to if Murray will be ready in time for the Brisbane International, which will get underway next week. A recent report by The Times newspaper has claimed that he is still encountering issues with his hip. Resulting in him ending his training block in Miami earlier than expected and returning to London.
On Wednesday the tournament director of the Brisbane International, Cameron Pearson, insisted that both Murray and Rafael will play in the event. Hours later, Nadal announced his withdrawal from the event.
Nice bonus for #mwtc10 crowd. @andy_murray is practicing here in Abu Dhabi pic.twitter.com/L3le2Im56S
— Reem Abulleil (@ReemAbulleil) December 28, 2017
New year, new focus
During a interview with Sky Sports, Murray revealed that his goals in the sport are now different following his injury. Instead of chasing after titles, the focus of the 30-year-old is staying healthy.
“The goals change and I remember now how much I just loved playing tennis — it isn’t about winning every match that I play in the future or winning more slams.” He explained.
“I want to get back to playing tennis, I want to be fit and healthy and that is what is driving me just now.
“I am hoping next year I can get back to that and if I do then I have an opportunity to compete for the biggest tournaments in the world and I still believe that.”
With a shift in his priorities, Murray remains confident that he can still challenge for the grand slam titles. At the upcoming Australian Open he is a five-time runner-up. Overall, he has won a total of three grand slam titles so far in his career.
“The major competitions are the ones that drive me more than the ranking. I want to compete. It was tough for me basically limping out of Wimbledon at the end,” Murray said.
“I want to be competing hard and trying to win the Australian Open in January. That is ultimately what I want to be doing but first and foremost I need to get healthy.
“I was pretty unhealthy for most of this year and I am getting there but it is a slow process.”
Murray is currently ranked 16th in the Emirates rankings. He will start the new season outside of the top 10 for the first time since 2007.
