Murray On Target For Barclays ATP World Tour Finals
ATP World No. 4 Scales The O2 To View Bulls-Eye; Issues Rallying Cry For Fans To Register For Priority Access To Tickets Ahead Of General SaleAndy Murray returned to the UK on Wednesday after winning the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event, and made his intentions clear for the remainder of the year by setting his sights on The O2 arena - host venue to the year-end Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, the season-ending climax to the 2009 ATP World Tour. The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals will determine the official year-end South African Airways 2009 ATP Rankings and will also crown the official 2009 ATP World Tour Champion. While qualification to the event is coveted by many, it is earned only by the elite eight singles players and doubles teams capable of demonstrating sustained excellence across the ATP World Tour's 62 tournaments, and the four Grand Slams, throughout the season. Murray marked his own intentions to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals by scaling the roof of The O2 arena, where tournament organisers had placed a special bulls-eye target. "It was amazing to be on the roof of such an iconic building - the view of London from all the way up there was just incredible," said Murray. "The event has a great history and means so much to the top players - it's great to think the race to the No.1 ranking spot and the title of ATP World Tour Champion could come down to the wire in London. I'm hopeful that I will be back here in November to really give UK tennis fans something to shout about, in what will be the biggest indoor tennis event of the year." Murray has got off to a career-best start this season, winning ATP World Tour titles in Doha, Rotterdam and Miami, as well as reaching the final at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. The 21 year old's latest performances have propelled him to within touching distance of World No. 3 Novak Djokovic, with just 170 ranking points now separating the Brit and Serb. Based on his recent surge in South African Airways 2009 ATP Rankings points, Murray looks to be in a strong position to earn one of the eight coveted berths for this year's climactic event, taking place in London for the first time in the its 40-year history. Next stop for Murray is the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, the third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event of the year, where he will get his 2009 clay court campaign underway next week. "I haven't got that many rankings points to defend between now and Wimbledon so hopefully I can make some more ground on the top guys during the clay court season," said Murray. Murray, who has already captured 11 ATP World Tour titles in his young career, issued a rallying cry for fans to come and support him at The O2 in November, saying: "The crowd can make all the difference against the world's best players and the prospect of playing at the end of the year in front of a home crowd at The O2 arena is huge." Murray was joined on the roof of The O2 by former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash. The Australian, who qualified for the final showdown in 1987 at New York's Madison Square Garden, believes that the crowds in London will be in for a treat as the 2009 ATP World Tour comes to a climax at The O2 this November. "It's been a fantastic start to the year, and the prospect of everything going down to the wire at the last tournament of the season in London is extremely exciting for everybody. Andy has been playing really well so far this year and if he can continue that form through to the rest of the season, along with all the support he will get at The O2, I expect him to be in the mix for the No.1 ranking and the title of 2009 ATP World Tour Champion," said Cash. Tickets for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals go on general sale in early May. Tennis fans wishing to minimize any risk of disappointment can register at Editors' Notes About the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Tickets will be on sale via www.theo2.co.uk or by calling 0844 856 0202. Download as PDF [183KB PDF doc opens in new window] |
