Andy Murray admitted that he is prepared for all possibilities as the race for the last handful of spots at the World Tour Finals heats up with less than three weeks left in the season.
“It (making the eight-man championships in london) is a goal for every player at the start of the year,” said the 2013 Wimbledon champion who opens play on Thursday in the second round of the Austrian Open against Vasek Pospisil.
“There are a lot of seeding advantages with being in the top eight. I will be trying my best to make it to london over the next two or three events.
“I hope I get there, but there are strong players competing for the same places. I’ve got to play well this week if I’m to try and win the title. I’m not under pressure. I’d like to get there. But if not, then it’s just not to be. If I don’t qualify, I don’t deserve it.” Murray stands provisional tenth in the points, one spot behind Vienna top seed and fellow year-end rival David Ferrer. Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka have already qualified.
One of the four remaining spots will go automatically to US Open winner Marin Cilic (provisional sixth), leaving three which are contested in the main by by Ferrer, Murray, Milos Raonic, Tomas Berdych and Kei Nishikori.
Cilic through in Moscow
MOSCOW: US Open champion Marin Cilic battled into the Kremlin Cup quarter-finals with a tough three-set win over Evgeny Donskoy, here on Wednesday. The Croat, a career-high eighth in the rankings, beat Donskoy 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to keep alive his chances of making it into the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in london.
Cilic, sixth in the race to london needs to reach the final here to increase his tally, broke his rival’s serve early for a one-set lead. Cilic produced the decisive break in the sixth game to take the set and the match in one hour 52 minutes.