It's the former world No. 1's first appearance in the top tier since his return to the circuit in June 2018 following the first of two hip surgeries.
Andy Murray is the only man outside the Big 3 to win several Grand Slam championships and reach the top of the ATP rankings in the previous 20 years.
He is, without a doubt, driven. And it's because of desire that he's reached yet another extraordinary milestone today: his run to the final of the Stuttgart Open this week has moved him from No. 68 to No. 47 in the ATP rankings, his first time within the Top 50 since his comeback.
Murray was still ranked No. 1 as he reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 2017. However, due to a hip injury, he could not play the rest of the year and had surgery in January 2018. He was ranked No. 156 when he returned to the tour in June, and he slumped to No. 839 as his quarterfinal points from Wimbledon faded in July.
He had second hip surgery in January 2019 after fighting back into the Top 300 by the end of 2018. That summer, he returned to the circuit, but by September, he was back below the Top 500. Then, in October of 2019, a three-week period that included winning his first ATP championship since his comeback in Antwerp propelled him from No. 503 to No. 127, and he remained in the Top 150 for the next two years before breaking back into the Top 100 in February of this year. And today, June 13th, he returns to the Top 50 after reaching the final in Stuttgart, where he lost 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 to Matteo Berrettini in a two-hour, 40-minute struggle.
It was his 70th ATP final and 10th on the grass in his career.
Murray, whose last title match on the surface was at Wimbledon in 2016, when he won his third Grand Slam, noted it had been a long time since the last final on grass.
There were many ups and downs, but I kept going and working until I finally got another one. I am pleased with the work I have done. Murray's first four Top 20 wins came in 2018 and 2019, and he's had his first four Top 10 wins since 2020—the biggest of them all coming only a few days ago.
MURRAY'S top 10 wining performance since Retiring from HIP surgery:
d. No. 18 Edmund, 7-6 (4), 1-6, 6-4, in the 2018 Washington DC 2nd Rd
No. 11 Goffin, 6-3, 6-4, in the 2018 Shenzhen 2nd Rd
d. Berrettini, No. 13 in the 2019 Beijing 1st Rd, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (7)
vs. No. 18 Wawrinka, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, in 2019 Antwerp F
6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-3, No. 10 Hurkacz in 2021 Vienna 1st Rd
d. No. 10 Sinner, 7-6 (4), 6-3, in the 2021 Stockholm 2nd Rd
d. No. 16 Shapovalov, 6-1, 3-6, 6-2, in the 2022 Madrid 2nd Round
d. No. 5 Tsitsipas, 7-6 (4), 6-3, in the 2022 Stuttgart QFs
6-3, 3-6, 7-5, No. 7 Zverev in 2020 Cincinnati [New York] 2nd Rd
Murray defeated Tsitsipas in the ATP Finals final in Stuttgart last Friday, marking his first win against a Top 5 player.
Since defeating then-No. 2 Novak Djokovic in the 2016 ATP Finals final (Murray, who beat four Top 5 players that week, was No. 1 himself then).
With only 180 points deducted from his ranking for the remainder of the summer, it won't be long before the three-time Grand Slam champion is back among the significant seeds.
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