Andy Murray wins his first title… since last week! British star makes it 10 match victories in a row ahead of Wimbledon and could be seeded at SW19 after claiming Nottingham Open
- Andy Murray beat France’s Arthur Cazaux in straight sets in the Nottingham final
- The 36-year-old has won 10 straight matches following his victory at Surbiton
- Murray will now head to Queen’s in his pursuit of earning a Wimbledon seeding
Andy Murray got the perfect Father’s Day surprise when he won another grass court tournament, and then discovered that his family were in the stands to watch.
The 36 year-old Scot won his second consecutive grass court Challenger event – and his tenth straight match – by defeating Frenchman Arthur Cazaux 6-4 6-4 in the final of the Nottingham Open.
Interviewed on court afterwards, he spoke of how he was looking forward to getting back to his home in Surrey to see his four children, only for them to signal that they were up in the stands.
‘Oh my God, I didn’t know they were here. I had no idea they were coming,’ said Murray. ‘ They came last week for the final at Surbiton and they turned up and it started raining.
So then they had to go home for bedtime so they missed the end of the match. So it’s great that they managed to come today.’
Andy Murray claimed the Nottingham Open title by beating France’s Arthur Cazaux in the final
Murray has missed a huge amount of family time in recent years as he has doggedly stuck to life on the tour’s treadmill, despite having a metal hip.
‘My family been unbelievably supportive of me continuing with my career when they could easily have told me to stop, so I really appreciate them still supporting me and trying to get me to keep going.
‘I need to thank all of them for all of their help that they give me and keeping me motivated. So I really appreciate my family and all of my team in moments like this.’
Less sentimentally, Murray has the goal of trying to get himself seeded at Wimbledon so he can avoid meeting an opponent of the highest calibre in the early rounds.
Sunday’s victory sees him back up to number 38 in the world, and while it depends on a variety of factors – including potential dropouts from Wimbledon – it is likely that a quarter final showing at Queen’s this week would guarantee propelling him into the top 32 entrants.
Murray has now secured titles in successive weeks and has won 10 consecutive matches
The 36-year-old will compete at Queen’s as he continues his pursuit of a Wimbledon seeding
It is his highest ranking since major hip surgery, and such is his know-how and experience on grass that he will not be on anyone’s list of preferred opponents.
Winning is a habit and it is certainly one that he has re-acquired since skipping the French Open to focus on this period of the season, but at this second tier Challenger level the examination is not as stiff as it will be in West London.
In the first round he will play Alex de Minaur, the world number 18 from Australia and not someone who gives much away. Looking back on his week at Nottingham, Murray praised the quality of the grass courts and said: ‘I played really well and got better as it went on. It was quite a physical match today, lots of long rallies. I’m obviously pumped.’
The little-known Cazaux, 20, is ranked 181, but played to an impressive level. Murray broke him three times in all, while suffering one break of serve himself.