Andy Murray to compete at inaugural Gijon Open, as he looks to improve ATP ranking ahead of Australian Open

Andy Murray will compete in the inaugural Gijon Open as he looks to get a good seeding ahead of the Australian Open.

It’s clear that the former world No. 1 is heading to Spain to pick up as many ranking points as he possibly can.

Should he perform well at the Gijon Open and any other tournaments he takes part in this calendar year, he could head to the Australian Open, which is set to start on January 16, with a better ranking behind him.

Murray’s inclusion in the tournament as a wildcard entry means that the cramping issues that he has struggled with this season are not as serious as previously thought.

After his first-round defeat in the Citi Open, Murray candidly spoke about the problem saying: “I [have] struggled a little bit with [cramping] the past two tournaments. I need to have a little look at that with my team and maybe see why that is, make a few changes.

“In terms of the training off the court and on the practice court, I’ll have to look at that as well and see if there’s more that I could be doing, maybe different ways of practising to help with that.

“Scheduling training more in the heat of the day at 3pm or 4pm rather than 10am when it’s not quite as humid, not quite as warm, not quite as helpful. There are a few things I can look at.”

Before the US Open, Murray had undergone sweat tests which gave little insight into what the problem might be.

“The sweat test was good, blood test was good,” he said. “No illnesses. I know now it is down to conditioning, hydration or food related. That is something I can obviously control a little bit as well.”

“I felt very tired at the end of the match. I think like emotionally the last few days, I don’t know exactly why because it’s not me that’s finishing playing,” he said.

“I just ran out of a bit of steam at the end and they were trying to encourage me to try and, you know, sort of increase my energy levels and stuff at the end of the set and I did try in the end of the second, but I was tired.”

After his win, De Minaur said: “Andy is a hell of a competitor. He’s done so much for the sport. I’m just grateful to have him around.”

The Gijon Open main draw will start on Monday, October 10.