Andy Murray Earns Rare Clay-Court Win at Madrid

Andy Murray of Britain reacts during his men's singles round of 64 match against Dominic Thiem of Austria at the Mutua Madrid Open's tennis tournament at the Caja Magica in Madrid, Spain, 02 May 2022. (EPA)
Andy Murray of Britain reacts during his men's singles round of 64 match against Dominic Thiem of Austria at the Mutua Madrid Open's tennis tournament at the Caja Magica in Madrid, Spain, 02 May 2022. (EPA)
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Andy Murray Earns Rare Clay-Court Win at Madrid

Andy Murray of Britain reacts during his men's singles round of 64 match against Dominic Thiem of Austria at the Mutua Madrid Open's tennis tournament at the Caja Magica in Madrid, Spain, 02 May 2022. (EPA)
Andy Murray of Britain reacts during his men's singles round of 64 match against Dominic Thiem of Austria at the Mutua Madrid Open's tennis tournament at the Caja Magica in Madrid, Spain, 02 May 2022. (EPA)

Great Britain's Andy Murray earned his first clay-court match win in almost five years, defeating Austria's Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-4 on Monday in the first round of the Mutua Madrid Open.

The match featured a rare first-round meeting of former Grand Slam champions. Murray, who won the US Open in 2012 and prevailed at Wimbledon and 2013 and 2016, is currently ranked No. 78. Thiem, the 2020 US Open winner, is ranked 91st.

Both players have been seeking a return to form after injuries.

Murray, 34, finished with a 9-3 edge in aces and saved all three of the break points he faced. The match featured just two service breaks, one in the middle of each set.

"I enjoyed it," Murray said. "I prepared really hard before coming here. I worked hard and really wanted to go out and put a good performance out there. I feel like I did that.

"When I played a couple of years ago on the clay, I was struggling a little bit with my groin. My body felt really good in the last few weeks and tonight I felt like I moved well and I played a really good match."

Murray's most recent win on clay came against Japan's Kei Nishikori in the 2017 French Open quarterfinals.

Thiem was in his third ATP-level tournament since returning from wrist and finger injuries. He has now lost his opening match in all three events.

"It's extremely difficult," Murray said of Thiem working his way back. "He obviously had the injury initially and has also had some setbacks along the way. Mentally, it will take time to feel confident, totally accelerating on the ball. I had a wrist injury when I was 20 years old and it was very difficult. It took me time before I started to feel comfortable on the forehand side again.

"He uses his wrist a lot when he plays. He plays with heavy topspin. It's obviously going to take him time, but he can still hit the ball great. He's serving well, moving well. It's just going to take time."

The tournament's top eight seeds all received first-round byes. The four seeded players in action Monday -- No. 9 Cameron Norrie of Great Britain, No. 10 Jannik Sinner of Italy, No. 13 Diego Schwartzman of Argentina and No. 14 Denis Shapovalov of Canada -- all won their matches.

Other opening-round winners were Georgia's Nikoloz Basilashvili, Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Australia's Alex de Minaur, Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov, France's Gael Monfils, French wild card Lucas Pouille and qualifiers David Goffin of Belgium, Dusan Lajovic of Serbia and Lorenzo Musetti of Italy.



Tax Evasion Trial for Real Madrid Coach Carlo Ancelotti Opens in Spain

Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti (C) arrives to stand trial over alleged tax fraud, in Madrid, Spain, 02 April 2025. EPA/JJ GUILLEN
Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti (C) arrives to stand trial over alleged tax fraud, in Madrid, Spain, 02 April 2025. EPA/JJ GUILLEN
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Tax Evasion Trial for Real Madrid Coach Carlo Ancelotti Opens in Spain

Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti (C) arrives to stand trial over alleged tax fraud, in Madrid, Spain, 02 April 2025. EPA/JJ GUILLEN
Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti (C) arrives to stand trial over alleged tax fraud, in Madrid, Spain, 02 April 2025. EPA/JJ GUILLEN

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti arrived at a Spanish court Wednesday for the opening of his trial on tax evasion charges.
Spanish prosecutors have accused the highly successful Italian coach of defrauding the state of 1 million euros ($1 million) in 2014 and 2015. State prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of up to four years and nine months on two counts of tax fraud.
They accused Ancelotti in March 2024 of having used shell companies to hide his true earnings. Prosecutors claimed Ancelotti, for example, used one company that lacked “any real (economic) activity” in the Virgin Islands as part of an alleged scheme.
Ancelotti had denied any wrongdoing before the trial.
He arrived to the Madrid-based courthouse dressed in one of his dark blue suits that he wears while coaching games, The Associated Press reported.
When asked by television journalists if he trusted in the justice system, he responded “I do” as he walked up the courthouse steps.
Ancelotti proclaimed his innocence when first accused last year, arguing he was not a fiscal resident of Spain during part of that time. Prosecutors disagree.
“I already paid the fine, the money is with them, and now the lawyers are talking to try to find a solution,” Ancelotti said in March 2024. “Let’s see what the judge says.”
The 65-year-old Ancelotti is one of soccer’s most successful coaches. He has won the Champions League a record five times, three with Madrid and twice with AC Milan, and is the only coach to have won domestic league titles in England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France.
He coached Madrid from 2013-15 before starting his current stint in 2021.