This year’s Miami Open will be missing some of the top stars on the ATP Tour – namely, the Big 3 of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer – but there are still some big-name players to follow.
Former world No. 1 and two-time Miami Open champion Andy Murray is set to make his much-awaited return to the tournament after several years away.
Meanwhile, another former No. 1 in Daniil Medvedev, who quickly lost top spot in the ATP rankings after his early exit at Indian Wells earlier this month, will be on a mission to regain his place in Miami.
Read on below as SBOTOP shares all the latest news and updates on the ATP Miami Open 2022.
Andy Murray set to make Miami return
Andy Murray will be making his much-awaited return to the Miami Open for the first time since 2016.
The former World No. 1 will face off against Argentina’s Federico Delbonis in the first round. Delbonis won the two players’ only meeting to date at the 2016 BNP Paribas Open.
Murray is a two-time winner of the Miami Open back in 2009 and 2013, but this will be the first time he’ll be taking part in the tournament since it moved from Key Biscayne to Hard Rock Stadium.
Should Murray get past Delbonis, he will face off against top seed Daniil Medvedev in the second round.
The 34-year-old Murray is 9-7 on the season, but he has not won back-to-back matches in a tournament since reaching the final at Sydney in January. Murray is coming off a defeat to Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik in the round of 64 of the BNP Paribas Open.
Medvedev on a mission to return to No. 1
With Rafael Nadal pulling out of the tournament due to a rib injury, Daniil Medvedev’s Miami Open 2022 odds of taking the title have improved even more.
But more than winning the title, Medvedev will have his sights set on recapturing the World No. 1 spot in the ATP Rankings that he lost when he suffered a shock early exit at Indian Wells to veteran Gael Monfils.
“I have Miami to try to get it back. Usually feeling a little bit better in Miami in terms of tennis,” said Medvedev after his defeat at Indian Wells.
“I always say, when I play my best tennis, my good tennis, it’s really tough to beat me. But that’s the toughest part of tennis is to reproduce it time after time.”
The Russian must make at least the semi-finals in Miami in order to once again overtake Novak Djokovic for the No. 1 spot.
Aside from potentially facing Murray in the second round, Medvedev could also face defending Miami Open champion Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals.
Medvedev has not gotten past the quarter-finals of the Miami Open in two tries. He reached the fourth round in 2019 and fell in the quarter-finals despite being the top seed last year.
Nick Kyrgios moves on with straight-sets win
Nick Kyrgios is through to the second round of the Miami Open after beating Adrian Mannarino in straight sets, 7-6(3) 6-3.
The mercurial Australian made Miami Open 2022 highlights with his service dominant game as he fired in 12 aces. He also put 81 per cent of his first serves in play while winning 80 per cent of them.
“It was a hell of a performance,” Kyrgios said. “Getting on late, it wasn’t easy. So I’m really proud of myself with the way I responded. I felt good, I competed well today against a tough opponent.”
The 26-year-old is coming off a quarter-final run in the BNP Paribas Open, where he lost to Rafael Nadal in three sets.
Kyrgios will now face World No. 7 Rublev Andrey Rublev in the second round. The Russian lost in the semi-finals of Indian Wells in straight sets to eventual champion Taylor Fritz.
Kyrgios admits he faces a tough test in the second round against Rublev but believes he can still pull off an upset.
“I feel confident. If I’m serving well and play well from the back, I can beat anyone,” Kyrgios said.
Kyrgios and Rublev have won one match each in their career head-to-heads. Rublev won their most recent meeting in the US Open back in 2019.
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