The Aegon Championships and Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has confirmed that he will return to The Queen’s Club 9th-15th June to try for a fourth trophy at the grass court event.
Murray won his third Aegon Championships seven months ago before becoming the first British man to triumph at Wimbledon in 77 years. He has the same number of titles (3) as Jimmy Connors, and one more than Pete Sampras and Murray’s coach Ivan Lendl. A fourth title at The Queen’s Club would put Murray alongside John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick at the top of the honour roll in the Open Era. Rod Laver, Ilie Nastase, Stefan Edberg and Rafael Nadal have also won the title.
“To win the title for the third time last year and then to go on to win Wimbledon was really special, and it highlights the importance of Queen’s,” said Murray. “The grass courts there are as good as any in the world and it’s a great event. It’s also a tournament with a lot of history, both personally for me and for the game as a whole. It’s where I won my first professional match and my first title in Britain, and when you look at the names on the trophy, including my coach Ivan Lendl, it shows how big a tournament it is to win. I’d love to do it again.”
After lifting the trophy without dropping a set in 2009, Murray triumphed again in spectacular fashion two years later, winning a thrilling, rain-delayed Monday final against Jo Wilfried Tsonga. Last year, he fought past the 2012 winner Marin Cilic in the final.
His victory in 2013 was all the more special because of what followed over the subsequent couple of hours. Inspired to help Ross Hutchins to raise money for the Royal Marsden Hospital that had treated his friend for Hodgkins lymphoma, Murray joined forces with Tim Henman to take on Lendl and Tomas Berdych in a celebrity doubles match. They were then joined by The Mayor of London Boris Johnson, Jonathan Ross, Michael McIntyre and Sir Richard Branson to continue the entertainment.
“Last year was even more memorable with the Rally Against Cancer match we held afterwards to help the Royal Marsden,” said Murray, who contributed his £73,000 winners’ cheque to a fund that topped a quarter of a million pounds. “It’s a day I’ll never forget.”
Unless Great Britain beat the United States in February and play a home Davis Cup tie in the quarterfinals in April, the Aegon Championships will be the next opportunity for tennis fans to see Murray play in the flesh on British soil.
Tickets for the Aegon Championships are sold via a Ballot and then a General Sale. For more information about tickets and hospitality packages, go to www.aegonchampionships.com.
