The ATP statement condemned “any form of violence or abuse,” and added: “We expect all Tour members to do the same and refrain from any violent, abusive or abusive conduct. others in danger. ” A review would only follow a judicial inquiry and “due process,” the statement said. So far, Sharypova and Zverev have refused to seek legal advice.
Murray, who has not played since a disappointing loss to Fernando Verdasco in Cologne last month, said in a high-profile interview that he expected players to be ready to take coronavirus shots before tournaments so that the Tour can “get back to normal”.
He added: “I hope all players would be willing to do this for the good of the sport – provided everything turned out safe, [with] clinical trials performed and there are no significant side effects. From what I’ve heard on TV and the news, there really shouldn’t be any long-term effects. ”
As for Djokovic’s reported reluctance to vaccinate, Murray said: “I read a few weeks after he said he didn’t want to do that, if it was something that needed to be done so he could practice sport he would have. “
Murray, who trains and hits almost every day at the National Tennis Center in Roehampton, admits he has work to do to achieve acceptable match fitness at 33, but he hasn’t felt any pain from the the hip psoas injury that hit him at the US Open. in September.
“I started practicing two weeks ago. I did tons of work in the gym, trying to build to beat all of my personal bests, which was pretty exciting for me. I’m really motivated. The only thing that I might not achieve on the same level is speed. But I hope that by improving my strength and power, it will help me to be a little faster on the court. There is no reason I couldn’t bring him back to what he was before. And that was probably not the case last year. I feel good. ”
Murray says he has heard that the Australian Open, which is set to start on Jan. 18, could be postponed for “a few weeks”, not postponed until February or March, as was reported last week, because he would then rebound against the American hard tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami.
“I don’t think it would work for the sport as these are two huge tournaments in March. The best case now is to put it off for a few weeks. This would allow players to get there in early January and properly prepare for the event. I’ll go as soon as I can.
The Victorian government has yet to decide whether players should be quarantined without playing tournaments or training for 14 days, although they cannot arrive until January 1. Murray says it’s a problem to be solved.
“It would be tricky. Many players come from very cold climates. Asking them to play in 35, 36 degree heat without match preparation only increases the risk of injury, and maybe the quality of tennis will not be as high. It wouldn’t be a deciding factor for me. It makes things a little more difficult.
Meanwhile, he looks forward to Christmas with his wife, Kim, and their children at their home in Surrey.
“Initially, I had planned not to be there for Christmas when we thought we had to be away from December 15th. So that’s one of the positive aspects of a delay. It’s hard not to see your extended family at this time of year, but if this is what we need to do to keep everyone safe right now, it’s probably worth it.
Murray’s return in 2020 has been mixed, but he believes he can get into big tournaments again. “If I’m in good shape, I will. I haven’t forgotten how to play tennis. I know I will play and win big matches if I can stay fit and healthy for an extended period. ”
A major goal in 2021 for the two-time Olympic gold medalist is to go to the postponed Tokyo Games. “I would love to participate in the Olympics again. It would be huge for me – in the top priorities of the year. And I would love to play at Wimbledon again, same with the Aussie Open, and then if I’m fit and healthy I would love to go and try and win another medal in Tokyo.
