Andy Murray wins Surbiton, first singles grass tournament win in years, will be seeded at Wimbledon

In an emphatic display of courage and determination, Andy Murray has returned to the top bracket of the men’s game. In a stunning display, the current world 44 dispatched of his opponent 6-3 6-2. It comes after a sublime week- where Murray only dropped a single set all tournament. This comes also as Murray’s first grasscourt title win since his halcyon days of 2016- a year where he finished year-end world number 1.

Both players jostled with the soaring temperatures of Surbiton, but it was Murray who drew first blood in the match to break and then progress to a 5-3 lead in the opening set. Murray’s incredible tennis IQ left Rodionov with no answers and having to reach balls all over the court. Murray also hit several top-notch forehands and forced Rodionov to make the mistakes. However, at 3-1 in the second set, Rodionov showed some signs of life and was mounting a comeback of sorts- but that was quickly put to bed by an excellent serving display from Murray. A rain delay put a hold to things for a while but it would be Murray who would come back from the break with a better performance. After a nearly 3-hour delay in the match, Murray quickly asserted himself to clinch the title in Surbiton.

Upon completion of the match, this was what Murray had to say:

"“My kids are always asking me when I go away if I am going to come home with a trophy – and it’s been rare over the last few years. They actually came two minutes before the rain started and my wife had to take them back home, so they missed the end of the match. But I think they watched it on TV – so Sophia, Edie, Teddy and Lola, I’ll bring you all a trophy tonight.”"

In preparation for Wimbledon, he also made a few points on his strategy in skipping Roland Garros

"“I’ve chosen to come and play here, and in Nottingham (next week) to hopefully get lots of matches under my belt – so this week has been the perfect start,” Murray said."