Andy Murray has been thrown a lifeline ahead of the Australian Open after bowing out of the Melbourne Summer Set in the first round.
Andy Murray has earned a last-minute wildcard entry into the Sydney Tennis Classic, giving the former world No.1 one final chance to limber up ahead of the Australian Open.
The five-time Australian Open runner-up bowed out of the Melbourne Summer Set on Tuesday in the first round, upset by world No.76 Facundo Bagnis.
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Just when it appeared impossible Murray would enter the Australian Open on a high, the Sydney Tennis Classic threw the Scotsman a lifeline, inviting him to fly to Sydney and compete in the ATP 250 and WTA 500 event.
The tournament is taking place between January 10 and 15 at Sydney’s Olympic Park precinct.
It will be Murray’s last hitout before the Australian Open, for which he has also been given a wildcard entry.
Murray is ranked No.134 in the world – a far cry from the top of the rankings, where he sat for 41 consecutive weeks from November 2016 – but showed last year that he was still capable of matching it with the best.
He defeated Jannik Sinner in straight sets in Stockholm in November, having polished off Hubert Hurkacz in Vienna the month prior. Both men were ranked in the top 10 at the time.
Murray has already travelled to Sydney and on Thursday, he attended Qudos Bank Arena to watch his older brother Jamie play in Great Britain’s ATP Cup doubles clash with the USA.
Nick Kyrgios, who withdrew from the Melbourne Summer Set due to asthma issues, has also been awarded a wildcard entry into the Sydney Tennis Classic.
He arrived in Sydney this week to begin preparing and, like Murray, was seen at the ATP Cup.
Daniel Evans (GBR), Taylor Fritz (USA), Cristian Garin (CHI), David Goffin (BEL) and Alexei Popyrin (AUS) are among the other stars set to feature in the tournament. Australia’s top-ranked women’s and men’s players Ash Barty and Alex de Minaur are both listed as playing too.
The draw for the tournament will be finalised on Saturday, with the remaining qualifiers set to take place on Sunday.
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