Former Wimbledon champion Andy Murray takes on fellow British player Ryan Peniston in the first round on Monday; Murray practised with old rival and defending men's singles champion Novak Djokovic at the weekend
Sunday 2 July 2023 16:08, UK
Andy Murray believes his wealth of experience at Wimbledon can help propel him into the latter stages of a major tournament for the first time since 2017.
The 36-year-old two-time champion, who first featured at the All England Club in 2005, took on defending champion Novak Djokovic in a training set on Court 14 on Saturday.
Murray, who defeated the Serb to win the first of his Wimbledon titles a decade ago, last practised with his rival at the 2019 Australian Open - a miserable occasion that prompted him to go public on the extent of his hip injury.
"Where I am today in comparison to where I was then is night and day," Murray admitted. "Just from a mental perspective, my enjoyment of the game, and how I'm still able to compete with those guys.
"I didn't feel like I could really back then. I'm happy to be in that position still - I really enjoyed it.
"We used to practise together quite a lot, actually. It was nice to be back on the court with him again.
"I have the experience at this tournament. There's only one player in the draw that has more experience of playing here than me, which is Novak.
"I need to use my experience to my advantage and take confidence from that."
Despite winning successive events on the second-tier Challenger Tour in Surbiton and Nottingham, Murray missed out on a seeding for Wimbledon and will go into the tournament ranked 39.
He has not been beyond the third round at a Grand Slam for six years, but chose to skip the French Open and prioritise grass-court preparations.
"I've obviously played lots of matches," he said. "Physically I've been feeling good. I'm ready to go.
"I want to go out there and perform at a level that I'm happy with. I do feel like I'm in a really, really good position to do that.
"I believe I'm one of the best grass-court players in the world, and I prepared well, so there's no reason why I can't have a good tournament."
Murray faces a British first-round opponent at Wimbledon for the first time since 2016, when he overcame Liam Broady on his way to a second title triumph.
This time 27-year-old wild card Ryan Peniston stands in his way and Murray added: "I know him pretty well. We've practised together quite a lot.
"He obviously likes playing on the grass courts - he's had some good wins on the surface. I need to be ready for that one."
Tennis returns to Sky Sports later this summer with live coverage of the US Open. Sky Sports will have access to all individual court feeds, broadcasting a minimum of 135 hours, with Martina Navratilova, Tim Henman, Jo Konta and Laura Robson part of the all-star line-up of tennis experts.
