To our live blog about Andy Murray’s game against Viktor Durasovic at the Sydney Tennis Classic.
Britain’s former world number one was given a wild card for the peloton as preparations for the Australian Open continue.
The 34-year-old, who slipped to 134th place in the world rankings after long injury breaks due to hip surgery, will also receive a wildcard for the Grand Slam, which begins on January 17th in Melbourne.
But Murray’s preparations for the Australia Open started on a losing note when he lost to Argentina’s world number 76, Facundo Bagnis, in the first round of the Melbourne Summer Series earlier this week.
“I’m looking forward to playing in Sydney for the first time and continuing my preparation for the Australian Open,” said Murray, who has won three majors and two individual Olympic gold medals.
Murray had a frustrating start to the New Year when he was beaten by Bagnis in the Melbourne Summer Series.
He delivered a flawed representation that left him with a lot of work before the Australian Open.
Murray had hopes for a competitive start to 2022 after reaching the finals of an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi in December where he was beaten by Andrey Rublev.
But those hopes largely evaporated in a disappointing performance that resulted in the Scot slamming his bat on his bench in frustration in the middle of the crucial set.
Bagnis, who has never got past the third round of a Grand Slam tournament, took the first set, but Murray responded well with a dominant second score.
Murray, however, suffered from a poor throw of the ball and a terrible second serve percentage that allowed Bagnis to take the crucial break in the fifth game of the final set before winning the game.
Murray accepted a wild card for the Australian Open two years after hinting that his Melbourne appearance would likely be his last due to an upcoming hip replacement.
