Andy Murray set for big rankings drop as his Wimbledon preparations suffer a blow

Andy Murray will drop out of the top 100 of the ATP Rankings after he suffered a straight-set defeat in the opening round of the 2024 Stuttgart Open.

The three-time Grand Slam champion fell to a 3-6, 4-6 loss to world No 54 Marcos Giron in his first match at the grass-court ATP 250 tournament.

Murray lost serve once in each set and was unable to convert any of the three break points he created in the 30-year-old American’s service games.

It was the 999th ATP singles match of Murray’s illustrious career and his first match on grass this year as he approaches what will probably be his final Wimbledon appearance.

The former world No 1 will next play at the Queen’s Club Championships in London next week — an ATP 500 event where he has won a record five titles.

Murray was the world No 97 heading into this week, but the 37-year-old has dropped 30 places to 127th in the live ATP Rankings after his opening round exit in Stuttgart.

This is because the British legend will lose the 125 points he earned for winning the Nottingham Challenger in the same week of the calendar a year ago.

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While this is a blow to Murray’s ranking, it will not prevent him from playing tournaments as he likely approaches the end of his career, given he will be awarded wildcards if required.

In his on-court interview after beating Murray, Giron expressed his gratitude at having had the opportunity to face the two-time Olympic champion.

“For me, I grew up watching him and it’s truly an honour to even be on the court with him,” Giron said.

“To beat him, I am truly grateful… I am sure he hears that enough and would love to beat me, but I am really happy with the win.

“(To the crowd) Thank you for coming out, it’s really fun, it’s really a lot more fun and meaningful to be here with you guys.

“I mean I have got to enjoy the experience [of playing Murray], you can’t look at it like a glass half full. I was excited, can try and get a lesson from him, he has won so many big tournaments… Olympics, Wimbledon a couple of times.

“I mean I was looking at his record, he’s won something like 700 matches. It’s unreal what he has done in his career. For me to be able to play him on the grass, it was really cool.”