Andy Murray is back in his familiar territories! The former world number one tennis star is all set to lock horns with America’s Marcos Giron in the first round (R32) of the Boss Open in Stuttgart. Both the players have struggled a bit this season with their form. Giron has lost four of his last five matches while Murray has won only one out of his last five matches. However, cometh the grass court swing, cometh the man from Glasgow! This is Murray’s favorite part of the season. He has won 8 titles on this surface including two titles in Wimbledon and 2012 Olympic Gold medal.

So, if anything can bring fortune to Murray’s campaign this season, it’ll be the grass courts! Marcos Giron on the other hand, has had a better record this year than the British tennis star. He has reached one final, one SF, and one QF in his previous appearances this year. But the 30-year-old American has struggled a bit in the last few tournaments. Can he come up with a tough fight against Murra on Tuesday, (June 11)?

Andy Murray vs Marcos Giron: Preview

Andy Murray’s best record this season has been reaching the R16 on three occasions. Can he make it a few steps further in Stuttgart? Well, Murray was last seen in action in the first round of the French Open against Stan Wawrinka. In that match, the Swiss defeated the British tennis star by 6-4,6-4,6-2. If we take a look at Andy Murray’s numbers from that match, he hit five aces and committed one double fault. He won 71% of his first serve and 51% of his second serve against Wawrinka. However, Murray failed to convert two of his breakpoint chances in that match.

The 37-year-old Brit has hit a total of 93 aces this season and has committed 26 double faults. He has won 81% of his service games and 13% of his return games. Murray is a three-time Grand Slam champion, and he has a vast experience in the sport. Can this experience prove to be his secret weapon against the American in Stuttgart?

Time will tell! But if we look at Marcos Giron’s record this season, he has gone through quite a few ups and downs. He will be looking forward to making a steady start to his campaign in Stuttgart. Giron was defeated by Slovakia’s Jozef Kovalik in the first round of the 2024 French Open in four sets. He hit nine aces and committed just two double faults in the entire match. His first serve win percentage was 69% while on the second serve, it was 49%. Marcos Giron could only convert five of his fifteen breakpoints against the Slovak in that match.

He will be now looking forward to forgetting the results from his previous match and challenging the grass-court champ, Murray in his next match. If we look at his numbers from this season, Giron has fired a total of 101 aces and committed 34 double faults. He has won 79% of his service games and just 23% of his return games.

Murray vs Giron: Head-to-Head

Well, both the players haven’t yet met each other on the Tour. The grass-court swing isn’t Marcos Giron’s favorite time of the year, but for Murray, it’s completely different. Andy Murray reached the finals of this tournament in 2022, while Giron’s best record has been reaching the first round in his previous two appearances. But who has the edge in this enticing contest?

Prediction: Murray to win in three sets

Although Andy Murray has struggled a bit with his fitness levels and lack of consistency over the past few months. But looking at his vast experience of playing some of his best tennis on this surface, surely he’s going to be the one to watch out in this tournament. Murray has a win-loss record of 5-11 this season, while Marcos Giron has recorded 11-14. Both the players haven’t been in their past recently but they’ll be keen to gain the momentum ahead of the Wimbledon.

Andy Murray’s defensive baseline game will be put to the test against another solid baseliner from California. Murray is one of the best counterpunchers on the Tour. He has a strong and accurate ground stroke in his armory and can quickly jump from defense to offense to surprise his opponent. His intelligence on the court is widely admired in the tennis world, Giron needs to be a bit careful while coming to the nets as the Brit is quite proficient in hitting pin-point lib shots. Marcos Giron’s favorite shot is his forehand, but is it enough to topple the former world number one? Perhaps, not on grass courts!