Djokovic Fires a Warning to Murray Ahead of Queens

Published 06/19/2018, 6:41 AM EDT

Follow Us

Britain’s Andy Murray will be returning to action after his hip injury. The former world No. 1 is set to make an appearance at the Queens Club. The Queens Club event is usually treated as a preparatory event before Wimbledon. Now, Serbian player Novak Djokovic says overcoming the mental challenge will be Murray’s biggest obstacle.

Murray, was sidelined for nearly a year since losing in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon last July. So, his long-awaited return to Tenns will be highly anticipated. He will be up against Australia’s Nick Kyrgios in the first round at the Queen’s Club tournament in London on Tuesday.

via Imago

“I think the biggest challenge [for Murray] will always be mental,” said Djokovic. The Serb is trying to recapture top form after undergoing elbow surgery earlier this year.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

“How to get it out of your head, understand that it’s behind you, that you’re fine now, that you’re healthy and you can focus on your game rather than thinking 50 percent of the time about whether or not something can happen.”

The 12-time Grand Slam champion also admitted that grass might not be the ideal surface for Murray to make his return.

“I don’t know the state of his hips,” Djokovic said. “But the one thing that could be a bit dangerous is slipping on the grass. That’s something that is very unpredictable and grass is always this kind of surface where one wrong footing can make something go wrong, especially in the hips.”

The Fever-Tree Championships will see a number of top-notch players compete in the tournament. However, a notable absence will be Rafael Nadal as well as Juan Martin del Potro. Also in the lineup are former Queens Champions Marin Cilic and Grigor Dimitrov.

Murray has a long way to go if he is to reclaim his status as the number 1 British player, a title currently held by Kyle Edmund.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Dhruv George

14,318Articles

One take at a time

Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.
Show More>