Andy Murray gets used to taking his place at the top table

Andy Murray’s elevated status in the tennis world meant that he was one of those singled out for special attention here by Adam Helfant, the new chief executive and chairman of the ATP World Tour. Murray brought Ross Hutchins, his doubles partner, along to the dinner table for company and Helfant walked away highly impressed with what the British No 1 had to say on all manner of strategic and political issues.
It is symptomatic of the Scot’s position both as a defining player for his nation and right up there among the world’s best that, when he speaks, influential ears are cocked and, when he plays, everyone stops to have a look.
That has been Roger Federer’s position for years, one enhanced by his recent elevation to president of the ATP Player Council, which gives the view from the coalface.
Today, in the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Federer and Murray meet for the sixth time in just over a year in official competition — seven if you count January’s exhibition in Abu Dhabi — and the British No 1 has triumphed in the past four. Both men are feeling their way back into the bear pit of competition, both have been a bit edgy, though Murray has not dropped a single set here and Federer just one.
“Great players are tough to play against,” Federer said.” “I’m still figuring Andy out a little bit. He is very consistent for someone so young and that’s impressive.”
Where Murray has been ultra-consistent is his in dislike of the “whereabouts” rule, imposed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) as a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) programme, which means that a player has to let the authorities know where he is going to be for one hour of every day.
It got to the ludicrous situation on the way here that, as Murray decided to leave his hotel early to beat the notorious Los Angeles freeway snarls, he realised that he needed to update his position to the doping controllers or risk a strike against his unblemished record. Hasty calls were made back to Britain, plans updated and the risk averted.
Murray says the ATP’s doping guidelines could be amended. “It would make sense for the ATP to have a company that is used where we know that everything is going to be fine. If not, I am scared to take anything – I literally felt like I was dying in bed a couple of weeks ago and all I could take is paracetamol, three times a day.
“At least the women’s tour has a company they turn to which basically guarantees they are going to be safe. We don’t have anything like that.”
Which is something he will definitely be taking up with Helfant and his political top brass, the next time he is invited to dinner.
Source:the times