Andy Murray left gasping for air in ‘very difficult’ Zhuhai win after Davis Cup turnaround

Andy Murray said it was “very difficult” to adjust to the humid conditions in China after racing to the Zhuhai Championships following a successful Davis Cup week at home. The world No 41 still came through his opening match with a straightforward 7-5 6-3 victory over Chinese wildcard Ye Cong Mo. But Murray claimed it was tough to take in air as he was also seen using an ice towel throughout the match.

The 36-year-old had a quick turnaround between the Davis Cup and the ATP 250 event in Zhuhai. On Sunday, Britain booked their spot in the Final 8 after winning the group stage at home in Manchester. It went down to the wire, with Dan Evans and Neal Skupski taking it in a final set tiebreak in the doubles against France. Murray was on the bench to celebrate donning a bright bucket hat, having won his singles match against Leandro Riedi earlier in the week.

After hot-footing it to Zhuhai, he needed less than two hours to dispatch Mo but admitted that the conditions made things tough. “It was very hard,” the seventh seed explained. “You know, we came from playing indoors back home where it was quite cold and here it’s very difficult. The humidity makes it very hard to get air in after the long points. I found it tough.”

Addressing the crowd, Murray added: “It’s been a long time since I’ve been back here. Look I’ve always enjoyed playing in China, I’ve had some of my best results here, played some of my best tennis.”