PA Media/DPA
London
Andy Murray congratulated Novak Djokovic on his French Open triumph before joking he hoped the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion would now “take his eye off the ball” in the build-up to Wimbledon.
Both men enjoyed successful Sundays, with Murray stepping up his preparations for SW19 in style with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Austrian Jurij Rodionov in the men’s final of the Lexus Surbiton Trophy.
Murray’s victory earned him a seeded position at Wimbledon next month, with the 36-year-old now eyeing a third title at his home grand slam after lifting the trophy in 2013 and 2016.
Djokovic, meanwhile, moved alone at the pinnacle of men’s tennis by defeating Casper Ruud in straight sets in the Roland Garros final.
“I’m not saying he makes it look easy but he makes it look a lot more easy than it should,” Murray said of the Serbian.
“I am happy for him, he deserves it. When he beat me in the final of the (2016) French Open he lost motivation so maybe he can take his eye off the ball for the next few weeks heading into Wimbledon! “But congratulations to him - it’s an incredible achievement.”
Murray, who said he was heading up to Nottingham on Sunday evening and planning some “light” practice on Monday, showcased a powerful shot collection to dismantle Rodionov en route to his first title on home soil in seven years.
The Scot’s serve was a vital weapon on the day and his intricate shot selection left his opponent at times scrambling across the turf in the sweltering conditions.
And Murray, who was backed by a fervent Surbiton crowd, began to punish the Austrian with classy forehands which forced errors from his opponent as he took a firmer grip on the tie.
The number two seed continued to bombard Rodionov with a series of quality serves just before a heavy downpour suspended play, which offered some much-needed respite to both players after temperatures reached 29 degrees.
Play resumed nearly three hours later and Murray quickly reasserted himself on his unseeded opponent to close out the match, much to the delight of the Surbiton crowd.
Murray was pleased with his win, but was not resting on his laurels and said he would continue to “strive for more”.
“Winning any tournament is hard,” said the former world number one, who has been plagued by injuries in recent years including hip and abdominal issues.
“The journey of getting back to this point has been tough and I think I played some good tennis at times this week and tennis what will give me a good opportunity, especially if I serve like that against most players and I am excited about that.
“It’s taken a long time to get back to this place and a lot of work with some tough losses, but I’ve kept working and believing.” He continued: “I didn’t know if I would be playing again, and I am fortunate to be back competing again at a high level.
“I don’t want to downplay this tournament because winning any tournament is great and winning tournaments at any level is not easy, but I still strive for more. I believe there is more in me so hopefully I can achieve that in the next few weeks.”
