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Mark Petchey joked about Andy Murray's recent successes, reminiscing on the times when the British commentator was his coach.
Petchey coached Murray for less than a year, with the pair splitting in April of 2006. The Brit coached his compatriot to his first ATP singles title and a top 5 ranking.
The 52-year-old commentator took to social media to joke about Andy Murray winning two Challenger titles in a row, at Surbiton and Nottingham. Prior to that, he won the Challenger in Provence, making it three titles on the circuit in 2023.
"Not sure what all the fuss is about, to be honest. Andy Murray managed to win two challenger titles when I was with him and now he has an even stronger hip metal > bone... Honestly talk about hyperbole," Petchey joked on Twitter.
Murray obviously went on to have quite a career after splitting with Petchey, winning three Grand Slam titles and two Olympic gold medals.
A tennis fan on Twitter replied to Petchey, saying "Think he'll admit it's all been downhill since you stopped working together," to which Petchey responded:
"Facts are stubborn things and they would disupte that empirically."
Besides working with Murray, Petchey coached Silvija Talaja to the world's top 20 and Tina Pisnik to the top 30. He now works as a tennis commentator and analyst for Amazon Prime, ITV, the BBC, the Tennis Channel, Tennis Australia, and others.
As a player, Petchey was once a World No. 80 in singles, reaching the third round of the 1997 Wimbledon Championships.
Andy Murray to face Alex de Minaur in the 2023 Queen's Club Championships first round
No rest is planned for Andy Murray after winning two Challenger titles in a row, as he will very quickly be back in action. He is set to face Australia's Alex de Minaur in the first round of the 2023 Queen's Club Championships.
This will be the fourth battle between the Brit and the Australian, with De Minaur being victorious in all of them.
The 24-year-old defeated Murray in the second round of the 2019 Zhuhai Open, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, at the 2022 Laver Cup, 5-7, 6-3, 10-7, and in the first round of the 2023 Monte Carlo Masters, 6-1, 6-3.
This time, the three-time Major champion is coming in great shape, as he has won the Surbiton and Nottingham Challenger titles in the previous two weeks, losing just one set in the process.
Most notably he defeated the 2023 s-Hertogenbosch Open finalist, Jordan Thompson, in the semifinals of the Surbiton Challenger, 7-6(5), 6-3.
De Minaur, meanwhile, played just two matches on grass this year. He defeated Laslo Djere in the first round of the 2023 s-Hertogenbosch Open, 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3, and then lost to the eventual champion of the tournament, Tallon Griekspoor, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6.
The match is scheduled to be played on Tuesday, May 20, with the winner facing either Diego Schwartzman or Mackenzie McDonald in the second round.
