Andy Murray aiming to get back to his best

Andy Murray is back in action quicker than expected after he damaged ankle ligaments at the Indian Wells Masters in March, but his comeback on clay has failed to reap rewards.

Murray’s preparations for the French Open suffered a setback following a straight-sets defeat to Gregoire Barrere in Bordeaux last week and hopes that he may get a chance to take on Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Geneva Open this week are hanging by a thread.

Murray trailed world No 85 Yannick Hanfmann by a set and a double break when umpire Greg Allensworth sent them back to the dressing rooms due to an impending storm.

Gusts of wind had been sending showers of white pollen on to the court from the nearby Parc des Eaux-Vives, prompting Murray to complain to Allensworth: “It’s like it’s snowing out here.”

Amid the unlikely conditions, Murray summoned two double faults in succession to pave the way for Hanfmann to move 4-1 up in the second set having grabbed the decisive break in the first, reeling off 12 points in a row to win it 7-5.

It was a disappointing return to the ATP Tour for Murray, who hoped to use Geneva to limber up for his first French Open appearance since 2020 after producing a disappointing performance at a Challenger event in Bordeaux last week on his comeback from injury.

He looked painfully out of sorts, struggling on the return of serve and increasingly handing the initiative to his opponent, who was less inclined to accept the need for a weather interruption.

A brief stay in Geneva would potentially leave Murray questioning whether he should play at the French Open next week or return to the UK and begin his preparations for the grass court season.

READ MORE: Andy Murray to make retirement U-turn? – ‘I don’t think he will stop’

Murray has already confirmed he plans to play at the ATP Challenger tournament at Surbiton in the first week of June, with the event taking place as the French Open enters its second week.

So the Scot is clearly not expecting to be in Paris for long if he does take up his place in the draw when it takes place in Paris on Wednesday.

Murray could abandon his hopes of playing in the French Open for one final time and instead turn his attentions to what may be his best hope of getting back into physical shape and finding some match sharpness ahead of what is likely to be his final grass court summer on home soil after he confirmed he is ‘unlikely’ to continue his career beyond this summer.

Meanwhile, British No 2 Jack Draper has confirmed he will be tapping up Murray for more regular advice when the two-time Wimbledon champion calls time on his career later this year.

The 37-year-old is in the final throes of an outstanding career, having confirmed earlier this year that he is unlikely to play past the summer.

Murray has already been a source of guidance and support for Draper but the 22-year-old is ready to tap into the Scot’s wealth of experience.

“It is going to be much easier to tap into him when he has finished,” Draper told the PA news agency.

“As a tennis player, you don’t have time to think of anything but yourself. You are always thinking what you can do better.

“When he has stopped I will be contacting him a lot more, asking him for opinions on certain things, asking him what he has tried and if it has worked for him.

“I am definitely going to lean on Andy a lot and I am sure he will want to help me because he has always been very supportive of me.

“I think when he stops he will want to help more because he is not so focused on his own things.”

With Murray, a double Wimbledon, US Open and two-time Olympic champion, leaving the scene, there are some large shoes to fill from a British point of view.

Draper, currently ranked 35th in the world, has shown he has the talent to challenge at the top of the game and admits he feels a responsibility to take the baton.

“Andy has done so much for British tennis and so much for the sport in general, for me he is one of the greatest players of all time,” added Draper.

“He is going to have an unbelievable legacy and I do feel a responsibility to lead on from where he has been.

“I want to achieve so much in the sport, it is not all about winning, it is about inspiring kids to play and making people pick up a racket and knowing that tennis isn’t all just about playing on Centre Court Wimbledon, it can be amazing for so many people in different ways.”