Melbourne: Former world number one Andy Murray has been awarded a main draw wildcard at the Australian Open 2022, tournament organisers announced on Thursday.The Scot will compete at the event for the 14th time. He owns a 48-13 record at the season’s first major, where he has reached the final five times.
I’m really excited to be back playing at the Australian Open and grateful to Craig and the team for the opportunity, Murray said in a statement. I’ve had some great times in Australia playing in front of the amazing crowds and I can’t wait to step back out on court at Melbourne Park. The 34-year-old last competed at Melbourne Park in 2019, when he lost against Roberto Bautista Agut in a five-set first-round thriller.
Murray underwent hip surgery following his 2019 Australian Open appearance. The 46-time tour-level titlist is currently No. 134 in the ATP Rankings Andy is renowned for his fighting spirit, passion and love of the game, Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley said. I’m delighted to welcome him back to Melbourne in January, he added.
The injuries to prolific run-getter Rohit Sharma and young Shubman Gill have pitchforked Rahul and Agrawal into the limelight and the duo will most certainly open the innings in South Africa.
The duo enjoy a great camaraderie and it was evident when the two chatted up on Thursday and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted a video Friday, which clearly indicated that they were looking forward to the challenging task of opening the batting.
Hopefully me and you (Mayank) can go out there on the 26th of December and get our team off to a great start and have a great series, said India vice-captain Rahul, indicating the choice had been made by the team management.