Andy Murray has never given up belief. Not when he went four Grand Slam finals without winning a title, not when he required a radical hip resurfacing operation to save his career, and not now, during the worst run of his exemplary career.
So, a one-set deficit in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, even amid a dismal start to the season, was never going to register high on Murray’s lengthy list of conquered adversities.
The former world No 1 had looked on course for a fifth first-round exit in his sixth tournament of 2024 when he trailed by a set to Denis Shapovalov and struggled to withstand a barrage from the free-wheeling Canadian. But in typical, grinding Murray style, he refused to buckle and for the first time this season, he came out on top in the clutch moments to secure a 4-6, 7-6, 6-3 victory.
Shapovalov, a former world No 10, is enduring his own tough start to the year as he makes his way back from an injury-hit 2023, but nevertheless this was an important win for Murray in his bid to end his recent rut. This was only his second win of the year but comes a week after his first, in Doha.
“Winning matches is what gives confidence,” the three-time Grand Slam champion said. “A lot of people believe that you can improve your confidence by working hard away from the court. The number one thing in sport that builds confidence is winning matches. That's my belief and what I've experienced.
“There have been some signs of progress the last couple of weeks, I would say. It's obviously not exactly where I'd want it to be, but it's better than where it was.”
Murray’s difficult run, which involved losing his first four matches of the year and saw his ranking slide from 42 to 67, led some critics to make outlandish claims that the two-time Olympic gold medallist could be harming his legacy.
If any reminder was needed in that regard, Monday’s win over Shapovalov was Murray’s 500th on hard courts. Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andre Agassi, and Rafael Nadal are the only other members of this particular club; that is tennis heritage.
“Yeah, that’s not bad,” Murray, 36, said. “Hard courts have been a great surface for me over the years and 500 is a lot of matches [to win], so I’m very proud of that. That list, there’s not many players who have done it so it’s great to get to 500 before I’m done.”
That the 500 milestone was achieved on Monday relied entirely on Murray's powers of perseverance. There was nothing between either player for much of the first set as both served well, but in a sign that Murray's confidence is not quite where it should be, he wobbled at the worst time to hand Shapovalov the break at 5-4, allowing the Canadian to serve out the first set.
A tense second set saw Murray take the initial advantage at 3-1, only for Shapovalov to break straight back and level for 3-3, and as the tension increased so did the errors and self-scolding by both players. Yet, while Murray – one of tennis' great self-critics – was able to compartmentalise his frustrations, Shapovalov appeared to get increasingly affected by his own annoyances.
“How you talk to yourself can influence that a bit,” Murray said. “I've always felt better when I've shown my frustration. The challenge for me is making sure that the frustration doesn't continue through to the next point. When I show my frustration, get it out, and focus on the next point, I feel my best on the court.”
The critical moment then came in the latter part of the tiebreak when Shapovalov had the opportunity to earn a match point at 5-5. But his decision to hammer down a second serve backfired, resulting in a double fault and gifting Murray the chance to win the set and level the match, which he duly took.
The Scot seized that minor momentum swing and carried it into the third set, pouncing on Shapovalov's drop in level to grab the break in the first game. Murray maintained his one-break lead before easing any mounting tension by breaking the Canadian again in the ninth game as he served to stay in the match, sealing the victory in just over two-and-a-half hours.
Murray, the 2017 Dubai champion, next faces the winner of Tuesday's all-French showdown between fifth seed Ugo Humbert and former world No 6 Gael Monfils.
Top seed and defending champion Daniil Medvedev also begins his tournament on Tuesday when he takes on Alexander Shevchenko.
Company%20Profile
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Results:
CSIL 2-star 145cm One Round with Jump-Off
1. Alice Debany Clero (USA) on Amareusa S 38.83 seconds
2. Anikka Sande (NOR) For Cash 2 39.09
3. Georgia Tame (GBR) Cash Up 39.42
4. Nadia Taryam (UAE) Askaria 3 39.63
5. Miriam Schneider (GER) Fidelius G 47.74
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 611bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Price: upon application
On sale: now
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only. Readers are encouraged to seek independent legal advice.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
THE%20STRANGERS'%20CASE
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The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)
Engine 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch
Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm
Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
57%20Seconds
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TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
Profile of Udrive
Date started: March 2016
Founder: Hasib Khan
Based: Dubai
Employees: 40
Amount raised (to date): $3.25m – $750,000 seed funding in 2017 and a Seed round of $2.5m last year. Raised $1.3m from Eureeca investors in January 2021 as part of a Series A round with a $5m target.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MADAME%20WEB
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
Teenage%20Mutant%20Ninja%20Turtles%3A%20Shredder's%20Revenge
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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