Can Murray Triumph In Dubai?

© Dubai Duty Free Tennis ChampionshipsAndy Murray is hoping to win his first major title under the guidance of Ivan Lendl.

Andy Murray is hoping that his coaching link-up with legend Ivan Lendl will lead him to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title, and cement his place at the top of the tennis world, a position that has eluded him for so long.

The talented Brit has long been one of the world’s top players, being ranked fourth for each of past four years, although he enjoyed a brief stint at No. 2 in 2009. He picked up a very credible five ATP World Tour titles, including two Masters 1000 crowns, in 2011 and has posted wins over the reigning triad of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the past couple of years. But he is yet to elbow one of them out of the way to notch his first Grand Slam win, and, most importantly, win over the doubters who have seen him fall in three major finals.

Murray is hoping the surprising appointment of eight-time Grand Slam winner Lendl will provide the last piece in the puzzle to take him to World No. 1 and a Grand Slam title of his own. It was surprising because Lendl has little or no experience of any kind in such a role and had little connection with the sport after he retired at the end of 1994.

Like Murray, Lendl struggled to take the big titles in the early days of his career, losing his first four Grand Slam finals, but through determination and hard work he turned that around, something the sometimes emotional Murray is also hoping to do.

"There's not been one thing in particular that he's said that has made a huge difference. But when you just get that little bit of extra help from someone that's been there and done it many, many times, it helps," said Murray.

So far, the partnership is working well, with Murray lifting the Brisbane International trophy in the first week of the year before going on to reach the semi-finals of the Australian Open, where he stretched eventual champion and World No. 1 Djokovic to five sets in an epic battle that lasted just 10 minutes short of five hours.

"The match between Murray and Djokovic in Melbourne was fantastic and certainly one of the highlights of the tournament, only eclipsed by that amazing final," said Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman of Tournament owners and organisers Dubai Duty Free.

Commenting on the arrival of Murray and possibly Lendl in Dubai, Salah Tahlak, Tournament Director of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships said: "We are looking forward to welcoming back a very much on-form Andy Murray to the Championships. Lendl participated in the Dubai tournament way back in its infancy and he was one of the greatest players the game has seen in the past few decades. It will be fascinating to see if his influence on Murray can lead him to the title here."

If Murray is to take the title he will have to survive a field that features not only Djokovic and four-time Dubai champion Federer, but also recent Doha winner and 2011 Wimbledon semi-finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and 2011 Beijing champion Tomas Berdych.

The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is owned and organised by Dubai Duty Free and held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Play begins on 20th February with the WTA Tour event and continues from 27 February with the ATP tournament.

Tickets for the event are available from the Box Office at the Dubai Tennis Stadium, Garhoud which opens from 9am to 9pm daily.  Grandstand tickets can also be bought online at http://www.timeouttickets.com/.  For further information about tickets, prices and tournaments visit http://www.dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com/ or phone the call centre on +971 4 358 9797.