Andy Murray vs Medvedev LIVE: Qatar Open build-up and latest updates

“Yeah, well, I think obviously like today I could help myself more by starting the match quicker, but also, you know, if I look at also like some of the players that I have played against this year, you know, they’re not easy matches.

“Zverev, granted, he’s coming back from injury, but, you know, still a very difficult match. Sonego, I think in these conditions, can play very well. I think the other night he played a solid match. Berrettini in the first round of the Australian Open, like, that’s never going to be easy.

“Yeah, like I said, obviously I would like to have quicker matches, but, you know, sometimes, it happens this way, and I’m sure that’s not going to continue throughout the rest of the season. It’s just a period that I’m going through where the matches are difficult.”

Who’s ready for another Murray rollercoaster then?

An incredible run in Qatar comes to an end today, with the biggest test of all.

Murray 9/2 to win today, Medvedev very short at 1/8.

If you think Murray can save a match point AND win, well, you can back it at 20/1.

“There is a certain calmness to those situations because you have been in them a lot in a short period of time,” Andy Murray said on those crucial match points saved.

“You know how you need to try and play and it becomes a little bit of a habit.”

Carlos Alcaraz insists there is no “pressure” to battle Novak Djokovic for the world No 1 ranking.

“I am not a kid or a player who is happy with little things,” Alcaraz said.

“I always want more, and we will look for it this week. The truth is that I don’t feel any pressure to fight with [Novak] Djokovic to be the No. 1.

“The truth is that I hope to have a beautiful year with beautiful tournaments, to be honest. I’ll have a little pressure because I’ll defend some important titles and play at a great level.

“But as I have said before, I’ll have to play match by match, enjoying it, more than having results. That is what I hope.”

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has cooled talk of a rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz, insisting that Rafael Nadal still deserves to be his “biggest rival” on the ATP Tour.

“Alcaraz is playing at a great level,” Djokovic said in Belgrade. “I mean, especially after several months of absence from the tour with injuries that he was struggling with.

“It’s amazing that he is able to find the top level right away. That is actually a characteristic of a mature player. He doesn’t have so much experience, but he is showing maturity very early on, and with the way he handles himself on and off the court.

“He is a great guy and has a very good team of people around him. He deserves all his success and he is, I think, bringing some new, fresh energy into tennis, you know. He is a very dynamic player and personality and is very liked all around the world. So he deserves everything.

“I cannot call him my main rival. My main rival is still Nadal, you know, even though Alcaraz is obviously No. 2 [in the world rankings]. He was No. 1, he has won a Slam.

“He is arguably the next biggest thing in our sport or he is already there. I just feel the rivalry with Nadal is something that is difficult to eliminate just because someone is doing great things in the last year and a half, you know.“Nadal has been the biggest rival, and he probably will remain the biggest rival I ever had in my career.”

World number one Novak Djokovic is hopeful of being given special permission to play the upcoming tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami.

Djokovic is currently unable to enter the United States as he is unvaccinated against Covid-19.

But, with current restrictions due to end in April, Djokovic wants dispensation to enter the country and play the ‘Sunshine Double’.

“I’m waiting for a reply, it’s not on me. I will know soon,” Djokovic, who has not played in America since 2021, said at a press conference in Belgrade on Wednesday. “Everything is in process. I’m thankful to the Indian Wells and Miami tournament and communities for their support publicly.

“They would like me to be able to play in their tournaments. I’m very thankful for that because I have a big desire to be there, I haven’t played there for a couple of years. I’m looking forward to a positive decision coming soon, but it’s not in my hands. Right now that is all that I can say.

“All I can do is hope at the moment. My position is the same, I wish for a positive result.”

“I don’t know, that was one of the most amazing turnarounds I’ve had in my career,” he said.

“I knew it was his first time serving for a final so I had to keep the pressure on because I know how difficult it can be to serve matches like that out, but I have no idea how I managed to turn that one around.

“I feel all right just now although obviously the adrenaline is pumping after a match like that.

“I’m sure there’ll be a bit of fatigue tomorrow but I have a great team behind me. My physio has a job on his hands tonight.”

Andy Murray saved five match points in yet another marathon encounter to somehow reach the final of the Qatar Open.

The two-time Wimbledon champion went the distance again – all six of his wins this year have gone to deciding sets – in an astonishing 6-0 3-6 7-6 (6) victory over rising Czech star Jiri Lehecka.

Serving at 5-3 down in the decider, Murray had to save two match points before Lehecka moved 40-0 up on his own serve in the next game.

What happened next was scarcely believable, even by Murray’s standards, as he repelled all three match points to level the set at 5-5, before beating a shellshocked Lehecka in the tie-break.

“I don’t know, that was one of the most amazing turnarounds I’ve had in my career,” the 35-year-old Scot said on Amazon Prime.