Andy Murray registers 500th hard-court win, becomes only fifth man in Open Era to achieve feat

The former World No. 1 beat Denis Shapovalov to set the record.

Andy Murray battled his way to a hard-fought tennis win and a significant career milestone in Dubai. The three-time Grand Slam champion defeated the former top 10 Canadian Denis Shapovalov in this first round of Dubai Tennis Championships 2024 for a 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3. Murray notched up his second win of 2024 and 500th career hard-court win in the process.

The former world No. 1 has become the fifth man in the Open Era to reach the 500-win mark on hard courts, joining an exclusive club that includes some of the biggest names in the sport: Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andre Agassi, and Rafael Nadal.

Roger Federer leads the list with 783 wins and 155 losses, followed by Novak Djokovic (700-126), Andre Agassi (592-158), and Rafael Nadal (518-150). Andy Murray is the latest entrant to the 500 club, securing fifth place with 500 wins and 174 losses on hard courts. The 36-year-old veteran is just 18 wins away from surpassing Nadal’s tally, potentially moving from fifth to fourth place on the list.

Murray is also set to participate in the BNP Paribas Open and the Miami Open, providing him with opportunities to close the gap with Nadal.

In an on-court interview, Murray expressed his satisfaction at reaching the 500-win milestone on hard courts before retiring. He has won 34 of his 46 titles on hard courts, which means that 74% of his trophies have been won at hard-court events. Overall, Murray’s win tally stands at 734, tying him with David Ferrer at 14th place and placing him behind Pete Sampras’s 762 wins.

The record for the most career wins is held by American Jimmy Connors, who boasts an impressive tally of 1274 wins.

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Shapovalov clinched a close first set, breaking Murray late to win 6-4. However, the Scotsman regrouped in the second set, capitalizing on the Canadian’s six double faults to win the tiebreak. Murray broke Shapovalov twice in the deciding set, wrapping up the match in two hours and 32 minutes and taking a 2-1 lead in their head-to-head record.

The 2017 Dubai Tennis Championships winner now holds an 18-5 win-loss record in Dubai. Murray, currently ranked No. 67, will next face fifth seed Ugo Humbert for a place in the quaeterfinals.

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