Wild card Andy Murray to play in-form Lloyd Harris in the first round of the Miami Open this week; South African Harris was runner-up at Aslan Karatsev at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships at the weekend
Monday 22 March 2021 19:24, UK
Greg Rusedski says "you can never discount great champions" as Andy Murray continues his latest comeback at the Miami Open following more injury problems last year and a bout of coronavirus that ruled him out of the Australian Open.
The former world No 1, who recently celebrated the birth of his fourth child, reached a final at second-tier Challenger level in his first tournament back before falling in the first round of the ATP event in Montpellier and the second round in Rotterdam.
Murray, the champion in Miami in 2009 and 2013, was not at all happy with the level of tennis he produced and still has aspirations of winning the biggest tournaments.
Rusedski said: "Andy is the most competitive guy you'll ever see in your life. You don't win three majors and get to number one and everything he's accomplished without that massive belief and massive drive.
"Miami's one of his favourite places to play. If he gets a good draw, there's a real possibility of him having a good run. For me, the question mark is always his movement to his forehand side.
"You can never discount great champions and it would be great to see him playing well again. You shoot for the stars and maybe you get to the moon."
Murray was awarded a wild card for the tournament in Miami, which begins on 24 March.
He has not competed in Miami since 2016, undergoing hip surgeries in 2018 and 2019.
Harris, 24, had climbed 29 places from No 81 to No 52 in the rankings after reaching his maiden ATP 500 final.
The winner of the match between Murray and Harris will play Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round.
British No 1 Dan Evans received a bye into the second round where he will play the winner of the match between, Frances Tiafoe and Stefano Travaglia, while Cameron Norrie faces Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka in the first round, with wildcard Jack Draper up against Mikhail Kukushkin.
In the women's draw, reigning champion and world No 1 Ashleigh Barty returns to action, with Australian Open champion and world No 2 Naomi Osaka, Simona Halep, Sofia Kenin, and Bianca Andreescu taking part in a strong field for the event.
The top 32 seeds have received a bye, including British No 1 Johanna Konta, but Katie Boulter takes on Kristyna Pliskova and Harriet Dart faces Zhu Lin in the first round.
Don't forget to follow us on skysports.com/tennis, our Twitter account @skysportstennis & Sky Sports - on the go! Available to download now on - iPhone & iPad and Android
