The smell of freshly cut and manicured grass always puts a spring in Andy Murray’s well-muscled step, although he begins his home campaign armed with a game he has brought to near perfection on the clay of Europe.
He is top seed at Queen’s, where he has won the title three times, and starts against a qualifier on Tuesday, along with the other leading players, Rafael Nadal, who returns for the first time since 2011, and the new French Open champion Stan Wawrinka, who probably has finished celebrating by now.
Murray was in upbeat mood on Saturday, confirming that Amélie Mauresmo will be with him at Wimbledon, although she will leave the coaching duties this week to the Scot’s new assistant, Jonas Bjorkman.