IS THIS ANDY MURRAY’S BEST CHANCE TO BREAK POOR FORM AND WIN DUCK IN 2024 AFTER QATAR OPEN DRAW?

The main draw of the Qatar Open draw appears to have favoured Andy Murray, who has struggled in 2024 and will face a lower-ranked opponent. His opponent will be a qualifier from the qualifying rounds: Alexandre Muller (No. 73).

The British player has participated in four tournaments so far, experiencing four consecutive defeats. In his initial tournaments at the Brisbane International, he faced the second seed Grigor Dimitrov, who is undergoing a career resurgence. At the Australian Open, Murray failed to advance past the first round, this time against the 30th seed Tomas Etcheverry.

His subsequent matches were against lower-ranked opponents such as Benoit Paire, currently outside the top 100, and Tomas Machac, who has never entered the top 60.

This time against Muller, Murray will have a new opportunity to break his negative streak, facing a player they have met only once in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Qatar Open, with the 3-times Grand Slam champion emerging victorious.

If Murray repeats the victory, he would face the winner of the match between the 18-year-old Czech prospect Jakub Mensik (No. 129) and the 5th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (No. 24). A potential advancement to the quarterfinals would likely see him against the first seed Andrey Rublev, although, at the moment, it’s a significant challenge to envision Murray in the quarterfinals.

The Doha draw will also feature top contenders such as Karen Khachanov (No. 17), Ugo Humbert (18th), and Aleksander Bublik (23rd).