US Open 2023, 1st Round, Tuesday, 29.08.2023
36 years old Andy Murray is now, but his motivation for this US Open 2023 is unbroken! At the final Grand Slam of the year, the old champion wants to play really big again, knows how it feels to triumph in New York.
On Tuesday he steps into the ring for the first time, his opponent is after all represented in the top 75 in the world. At Bet365, the Scot is ahead, which is why I will now reveal in my Murray Moutet tip why I’m betting on the underdog to win the set!
It was 18 years ago when Andy Murray made his debut at the US Open, having just come of age. It didn’t take long for him to be really flushed up front, playing a first final in 2008 (losing to Roger Federer).
It took another four years before Murray was finally allowed to cheer. In five tough sets he beat Novak Djokovic, it was a success in his prime. Those days are long behind the 36-year-old, but you always have to be on your guard with him.
Although he was eliminated relatively early in his past two appearances in New York, his fans were pleased. In 2021, he was eliminated in round 1 after five tough sets against Stefanos Tsitsipas, and last year it was all over after two wins against Matteo Berrettini.
It was a similar story a few weeks ago at Wimbledon, on his hallowed turf. Murray lost 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 6-7, 4-6 to Tsitsipas, you can’t really get much more unlucky than that.
How did the start of the second half of the season go on the hard surface? He lost by a razor-thin margin to Taylor Fritz in Washington, and Murray actually had a lot going for him in Toronto. In the end, it was apparently a bit too much, because he had to retire injured before the round of 16 against Jannik Sinner.
The 36-year-old was unable to compete in Cincinnati, but apparently he has done everything in recent weeks to get fit for New York. Murray has not yet met his opponent Corentin Moutet.
Will the height advantage help him, since his opponent is a full 16 centimeters shorter? Moutet is certainly no giant at only 1.75 m, and I also notice that we are once again dealing with a left-handed player.
24 years old, Moutet is ranked 72nd in the world, and if there’s one tournament he has particularly good memories of, it’s definitely the US Open. Round 3 in 2020 and Round 2 a year later after bitterly losing to Matteo Berrettini, here he already hinted at his potential.
Last year, Moutet first had to go through qualifying, he finally hit the big time. He knocked out Stan Warwinka, Botic van de Zandschulp and Pedro Cachin, until top star Casper Ruud was waiting in the round of 16.
Here, it was all over for the underdog, who was eliminated 1-6, 2-6, 7-6, 2-6. Nevertheless, the memories of those days in New York should be omnipresent for the young Frenchman.
If only there had not been the preparation for the US Open, which has not really gone according to plan. He hasn’t won a match in a main draw since mid-July, which reads extremely thin.
At least he managed to get through the qualifiers in Cincinnati, where he beat Daniel Altmaier among others. The last person to be beaten in the main draw by Moutet was a certain Eliot Spizzirri, who really shouldn’t be a competitor on par with Murray.
My Murray Moutet Tip
Andy Murray may be superior to his opponent on Tuesday night, so far so good. Based on my analysis, I can understand the bookies’ prediction, but at 36 years old, the Scot is always good for a dropped set.
Moutet may not be in the best of form, but he shone at the US Open a year ago and could still have that in mind. So I decide to predict and bet on a quite interesting match:
Moutet takes one set
