DUBAI: British tennis legend Andy Murray has heaped praise on the ongoing evolution of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships which gets underway this weekend with the women’s WTA 1000 event followed by the men’s ATP 500 tournament.
Running from Feb. 19 to March 4, both competitions will take place at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium. After accepting a second consecutive wildcard from tournament organizers, Murray — who reminded the tennis world of his enduring quality with an epic five-set comeback victory over Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round of last month’s Australian Open — bolsters a men’s field that features eight of the world’s top 20 players.
Following three days of grueling practice sessions on the venue’s center court, the Scot insists he is in good shape for another tilt at the Dubai title — a tournament he last won in 2017. “Practice has been brilliant,” said Murray, a former world No.
1 and three-time Grand Slam winner. “The court was pretty much brand new when we started, so I got some really good sessions in.