While his opponents were still playing matches, he was training, building his form and getting acquainted with the grass long before the others and throughout his week in Stuttgart his results reflected well his preparation. But on Sunday afternoon, in his first final on the grass since 2016, Murray’s tournament ended with some concern, as he struggled with a stomach injury and lost to Matteo Beretini, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 . “Sorry I could not cross the line today, but there has been a lot of progress in recent weeks,” Murray said. “I look forward to what the future holds and I feel much better about my game. I hope my body can endure for a while longer, so that I can continue to play such games “. After reaching the final without losing a set, an even bigger challenge was faced by Murray in last year’s Wimbledon finalist Berrettini, who returned from a three-month dismissal after hand surgery. The Italian immediately imposed himself, evicting Murray’s second serve to secure an early break, then dominated with his huge forward and serve in the first set. Throughout the second set, Murray kept his serve, but in 4-4 he faced three break points with the match hanging from a thread. Murray saved them all, kept himself in front of the serve and then his constant pressure on Berettini eventually led to a breakthrough as Murray loved to force a third set. The Stuttgart Open was Matteo Beretini’s first tournament since March. Photo: Bernd Wei’brod / AP Once Murray had equalized, however, the match ended with all intentions. After an opening serve game full of errors, Murray immediately called the coach. He could not serve at full speed and then in the middle of his serve at 2-4 he underwent another medical timeout. Against one of the largest servers in the world, a troubled Murray fought but failed to make a further impression. Murray then said it was a left abdominal injury he suffered in the third set while serving, instead of a left hip injury as initially reported: “It’s too long [since] “I’ve played nine games in 14 days,” said Murray, who also played at the Sorbiton last week. “I also played from Thursday to Saturday last week and after Thursday to Sunday here. So it’s quite normal to feel some things in my body, but I do not really know the seriousness of it. I have to check it. Let’s hope everything goes well. ” Murray is scheduled to compete at Queen’s in London, which starts on Monday, where he will be drawn with Lorenzo Sonego. However, his competitive presence is now clearly doubtful given his physical problems. If he played, Murray, who is now returning to the top 50 for the first time since 2018, would have the opportunity to fall to Wimbledon with a deep home run. Stuttgart remains an extremely positive discovery for him. Over the past year he has already shown that he is still able to compete well with the top players, but he has often struggled to maintain the high level of the old and has struggled badly in key points. Not only did he play at a steady, high level throughout his stay in Germany, but those issues disappeared. Quick guide

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Thank you for your response. Overall, while a month on tour helped him unlock a higher level, the heavy load on Murray’s body in his first week back obviously weighed on him. The challenge for him, as always, is to stay healthy in order to take advantage of the progress he continues to make. The organizers of the Stuttgart Open tournament are investigating the allegations of Nick Kyrgios that he was racistly abused by spectators during his defeat in the semifinal by Murray on Saturday. Kyrgios, who refused to play in the second set until the supervisor came in, lost 7-6 (5) 6-2. He later revealed on Instagram that he had retaliated after hearing a racist slander. “We are in favor of creating an inclusive environment for all players, staff and visitors where discrimination of any kind is not tolerated. “This attitude is lived by all those involved and responsible,” the organizers said in a statement. At s’-Hertogenbosch, No. 205 in the world, Tim van Rijthoven achieved one of the most remarkable title streaks in recent years, defeating No. 2 Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-1 to win his first ATP title. as a wild card in the country. The 25-year-old Dutchman’s title streak included victories over Felix Auger Aliassime, ranked 9th, and No. 14 Taylor Fritz, the second and third seed. He had never played in an ATP main draw before or even faced a top-40 player. At home, Dan Evans defeated Jordan Thompson and won the Rothesay Open Nottingham for the second time in three years. The Briton No. 2 fell in the second division Challenger Tour to start his season on the grass and reaped the benefits by regaining the title he won in 2019. Evans did not miss a set all week, completing his title run with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Thompson, who won the Challenger title at the Serbiton last week.