Plenty of reasons to go to Thailand Open, despite Murray withdrawal

A few months ago, organisers BEC-Tero confirmed Murray’s participation in the Thai event and this made big headlines all over the country, as two days earlier the Scot had claimed the coveted Wimbledon title. 

Even then, there were doubts that a player of his calibre, with an Olympics gold medal and two Majors, including the US Open under his belt, would bother to come and play in just an ATP-250 category tournament. 

Fans couldn’t help but suspect the commitments of these superstars, who are more likely to focus on bigger tournaments. The late withdrawal of Rafael Nadal in 2009 still lingers at the back of many Thai fans’ minds. They got tickets worth over Bt1,000 in the hope of seeing these stars in the flesh, only to find out later that players have a sudden change in plans. Not surprisingly, they feel cheated.

However, withdrawals are common in tennis. Whether it’s a US$10,000 ITF Futures or a Grand Slam, players, no matter how high their rankings are, can be out of a tournament at anytime. Due to the fiercely competitive nature of tennis these days, most players get injuries here and there. It’s just a matter of how serious their conditions are and whether or not they want to carry on. Remember when Paradorn Srichaphan was still on the tour, he kept travelling from one tournament to another, week in and week out, despite having a wrist injury. That perhaps led to a premature end to his career. 

Certain players with a professional frame of mind would not go beyond their limits. They would rather step back to take medical treatment and return only when they are really ready. Rafael Nadal is a good example. He stopped playing for seven months and came back stronger than ever, especially with an unbeatable record on hard surface, normally not his favourite, this season. 

Andy Murray also skipped the French Open in May to prepare for the grass season. Look what he has achieved at the All England Club because of that smart move. We have to understand that his agreement to play in Thailand was made before Wimbledon and no one knew what could happen in between. This is something beyond anyone’s control and if you are real tennis fans, you are would understand that.

But the remaining line-up for this year, which marks the event’s 11th anniversary, is actually not so bad. There is still world No 6 Tomas Berdych, last year winner’s Richard Gasquet, the up-and-coming Milos Raonic and the in-form Mikael Youzhny. The latter arrived yesterday, while the top three are due today and tomorrow. These guys along with the rest of the field are capable of enchanting us with their repertoire and never-say-die attitude.

With or without Murray, Thai fans have their compatriots to cheer. There are Sonchat and Sanchai Ratiwatana, Danai Udomchoke and a few new kids on the block. We should go to the venue because they are there.