ANDY Murray and his team are exploring the possibilities of bringing an annual ATP Tour event to the SSE Hydro in Glasgow.
Speaking prior to his 'Andy Murray Live' exhibition event at the arena last night - the first of what is envisaged as an annual charity showcase - the World No 2 admitted he would also love to bring a regular high quality tournament to the city of his birth.
The 27,000 people over three days who packed into the Emirates Arena last weekend for the Davis Cup semi-final against Argentina shows that the appetite is there and the Finnieston area would fit the bill, with the main show court at the Hydro and additional courts and warm-up facilities housed at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre.
"I think it is a possibility," said Andy, who was joined on court yesterday by Grigor Dimitrov, his brother Jamie and Tim Henman. "It would have to be indoors! But it is definitely possible if you can find the right facility to host it. It can be tricky to have indoor events, you obviously need to have more than one court, and need to have the space to do that.
"But when you see the events we have had here over the last few years, there won't be many places that can sell out seven or eight nights of 8,000 to 10,000 seats, anywhere really," he added. "So there is definitely an appetite for it."
Considering he was last seen limping out of the Emirates Arena on Sunday night, having sustained a thigh problem during more than 10 hours on court over three days against Argentina, the World No 2 seemed in good fettle yesterday, casually bantering away with his fellow participants. He said the leg had improved markedly already and it was a rare privilege to be able to relax and enjoy himself on court.
"It [the leg] is all right," said the Scot. "It’s a little bit sore but I’m okay. I just think my body needs a break now. I will give myself a few days off now to rest and recover. But I feel okay, a lot better than I did on Sunday, because I’ve had 48 hours of rest.
"This is my first time in the arena, I’d heard great things about it," he added, ahead of the event which saw all proceeds to Unicef and local Glasgow charity Young People's Futures. "It looks amazing and I’m very proud to have helped bring a tennis event here. I’m glad we’ve managed to set up an event like this in Scotland, where it’s about having fun. I’m really happy to have the opportunity do this for the first time in my career – and I’ll try to keep this going, if everyone enjoys it."
Murray's ongoing commitment to the Davis Cup has been a source of intrigue as he reaches the latter stages of his career and he gave a cautious welcome yesterday to proposals to alter the competition's format. He approved of the idea of shortening the format to best of three rubbers, to be played Saturday/Sunday, but had yet to be persuaded on the merits of playing the finals at a neutral city. All these changes could come on stream if ratified at the ITF AGM in August 2017.
"For me personally, the last three days, coming off the back of the Olympics, Cincinatti, the US Open, being on court for 11 hours or whatever it was over three days was really hard," said the World No 2, who like his brother has a seat on the ATP player council. "A lot of players have spoken about that, maybe shortening the format, playing it Saturday/Sunday, best of three sets, and I like that idea.
"If it doesn't work, you could always change back," he added. "But I think trying something new would give the event a lift, a boost for sure, in terms of the participation of the top players. In terms of the neutral venue, I am not sold on that yet. The home and away aspect is something I enjoy, and makes it special in comparison to the other events. It is something we as tennis players aren't used to, because we travel around the world playing in neutral venues all the time."
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