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Andy Murray in the first round of the 2021 US Open, New York, USA | (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Tennis | Mubadala World Tennis Championships 2021 | Murray begins against Evans in Abu Dhabi after Thiem withdrawal

Tony Fairbairn

Tennis

December 14, 2021

Andy Murray v Dan Evans
H2H: First meeting

ABU DHABI, UAE – Andy Murray begins preparations for the 2022 season in Abu Dhabi where he takes on fellow Brit Dan Evans after Dominic Thiem’s late withdrawal from the event.

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H2H & Match Fundamentals

Andy Murray v Dan Evans	H2H: First meeting
Mubadala World Tennis Championships	Abu Dhabi, UAE
Hard	Prize Money: N/A
2^nd on Centre Court (Not before 14:00 GMT)	Eurosport Player via Amazon Prime (Sign up for 30 day free trial of Prime Video and a 7-day free trial of Eurosport Player)

Andy Murray begins his preparations for the 2022 season with an opening match against Dan Evans after the Brit replaced late withdrawal Dominic Thiem at the Abu Dhabi exhibition.

Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2021 – Hard)

Embed from Getty Images

H2H:	Andy Murray (WR 134)	Dan Evans (WR 25)
Tournament Previous Best	Winner (2015)	N/A
1^st Serve %	57	61
Service Games Won %	82	78
Break Points Saved %	65	63
2^nd Serve Return Points Won %	49	52
Break Points Converted %	38	39

Murray has proven to be clutch on the big points when it comes to his serve but will need to be wary of Evans’ threat on second serve return.

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Playing styles and prediction

After Thiem withdrew, Evans now steps in to begin his preparations for the 2022 season in the Middle East. A mixed 2021 season saw Evans make big strides in the opening half of the season but struggled to make a real impact after Wimbledon and will be hoping for more consistency next season.

Murray meanwhile starts his campaign having changed coaching staff with Jamie Delgado joining Denis Shapovalov’s team for 2022, the Brit has opted for Jan De Witt this season with the Dutchman having coached Gael Monfils, Gilles Simon and Nikoloz Basilashvili in the past. Murray will be hoping a change of coach will mean a change of fortunes in terms of challenging for titles and beating the best players in the world.

This should be a match full of a mix of variety and power with both players looking to display good fitness levels ahead of another tough season. Whatever the result both players will be focusing more on the performance rather than the result.

Prediction: Murray in three sets.