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Andy Murray is hoping to use the Zhuhai Championships as an \u201copportunity\u201d as the tennis tour returns to China for the first time in four years. The world No 41 skipped the Laver Cup to play in this week\u2019s ATP 250 event and is hoping to use it as a springboard for a solid end to the 2023 season.<\/p>\n
Murray has had a quick turnaround this week, going from the Davis Cup to Zhuhai for his first tournament of the Asian swing. The 36-year-old was part of Britain\u2019s winning squad over the weekend as the nation booked a spot in the Final 8 of the \u2018World Cup of tennis\u2019.<\/p>\n
The Brit is straight back to it with regular tour events as he is the seventh seed in Zhuhai where he faces wildcard Ye Cong Mo in the first round. Murray decided to play in the tournament instead of the Laver Cup – the team event co-founded by Roger Federer.<\/p>\n
And the three-time Major winner has explained that he has hopes of ending the year strong with a handful of events left this season across Asia and Europe. \u201cI\u2019ve got an opportunity with these last five or six tournaments at the end of the year to have a strong finish, so that\u2019s what I\u2019m hoping for here,\u201d he said ahead of his opening match in Zhuhai.<\/p>\n
Click here to join our WhatsApp community to be the first to receive breaking and exclusive tennis news<\/strong><\/p>\n Just in <\/strong> Roger Federer gives verdict on Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal missing Laver Cup[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI really enjoyed my last visit to Zhuhai. It\u2019s a beautiful city and a great city with great fans. It\u2019s great to be playing tennis in China again and I am really looking forward to coming back to play at the Hengqin International Tennis Centre.\u201d<\/p>\n This season marks a return to the regular Asia swing schedule for the first time since 2019. Four years ago, Murray entered Zhuhai on a protected ranking and lost to seventh seed Alex de Minaur in the second round. This time, he\u2019s the one with the No 7 seeding next to his name after a successful year that saw him win three Challenger titles and reach a tour final in Doha.<\/p>\n The 36-year-old played several epic matches earlier this season – beating 13th seed Matteo Berrettini in five sets at the Australian Open before coming from two sets down to defeat Thanasi Kokkinakis. In Doha, he saved three match points against Lorenzo Sonego in the first round and five against Jiri Lehecka in the semi-final.<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/72\/590x\/secondary\/4970450.jpg?r=1695288751022\")
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