Andy Murray will face Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in the US Open first round in his first Grand Slam singles match since the 2019 Australian Open.
The 33-year-old – currently ranked 134th in the world as he continues his comeback from two major hip surgeries – returns to the scene of his first Grand Slam victory off the back of an encouraging display at the Western & Southern Open, where he defeated world No.7 Alexander Zverev en route to the last 16.
While understandably frustrated with 6-2 6-2 defeat to Milos Raonic – who Murray beat in the 2016 Wimbledon final – the Scot admitted there were some positives to take into the behind-closed-doors event at Flushing Meadows, which begins on Monday.
“I didn’t play well [against Raonic] and it wasn’t a good day, but the positives are that I got three matches in and physically I pulled up okay,” said Murray, men’s singles Olympic gold medallist at both London 2012 and Rio 2016.
“I played a couple of long games and got through them, but I’ve still got a lot of work to do on my game over the next few days before the US Open starts.”
Nishioka presents a tricky start for Murray, with the 24-year-old left-hander currently ranked 86 places higher than the 2012 champion having beaten fellow Brit Dan Evans at the Australian Open earlier this year.
Elsewhere, Rio 2016 Olympians Johanna Konta and Heather Watson have been drawn against each other in the women’s singles first round, with Konta seeking a maiden Grand Slam title having stormed to the Western & Southern Open semi-finals.
Former Australian Open semi-finalist Kyle Edmund – now ranked 44th in the world – faces Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik, with victory likely to earn him a second-round tie with 17-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.
Sportsbeat 2020