Andy Murray has been reminiscing about his past encounters in the Miami Open, ahead of his return to action later today.
The 36-year-old, who battled well against Andrey Rublev despite eventually being dumped out of Indian Wells by the Russian, will be hoping to finally enjoy a deeper run this time around.
However, to kickstart that he will have to bypass Matteo Berrettini, who too is seeking to reignite a career recently blighted by injuries.
Regardless of who performs on the day, there is another factor which could play a huge role in the outcome of this match. Murray has sought to emphasise the dangers involved with it.
What Andy Murray said about the Miami Open
Speaking to Sky Sports Tennis in the run-up to his opening-round match at the Miami Open, the Scotsman previewed that blockbuster clash with Berrettini by actually analysing the climate.
After all, given what happened with Arthur Cazaux earlier this week, player welfare regarding playing conditions is a true worry.
Murray expressed his worry by detailing a ‘brutal’ encounter he once had, whilst also reminiscing about the gruelling matches he and Novak Djokovic struggled through too.
He noted: ‘The conditions here always make the matches tough, I mean me and Novak used to generally play quite physical matches and I think the heat and humidity here obviously made that even tougher for the both of us.
‘I also played a brutal match in the final against David Ferrer where I managed to save a match point, it was another really really hot day but yeah, a lot of good memories.’
Player welfare is sorely lacking in tennis
Alongside making players play in some truly impossible circumstances, a grievance which many on the tour have voiced, there is also a widely-held scrutiny towards scheduling too.
Forcing players to stay on court until the early hours of the morning due to a lack of foresight is grossly unfair, and not only prohibits a player’s chance of going deep in that competition but also damages their health too.
For too long now these issues have been brushed to the wayside, with those suffering merely told to suck it up due to the vast fortunes they seek to earn.
But that is inconsequential when to gain it they have to trade their health, playing in sweltering heat, unforgiving humidity and into the dead of night.
‘No sleep but whatever’, wrote Daniil Medvedev on the camera after his Australian Open semi-final in January had just finished at 3:40 am. A jovial outlook on a very real problem.
Player welfare needs a severe overhaul in tennis, as one of the outstanding issues it still faces today.
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