Marray sets his sights on a London return for 02 Finals

 
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David Smith9 July 2012

Wimbledon doubles champion Jonny Marray loves London so much that he hopes to return to the capital in November and join the cream of world tennis at the O2 Arena.

Wildcard entries Marray and Danish partner Freddie Nielsen beat fifth seeds Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau 4-6, 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-3 beneath the Centre Court roof late on Saturday night.

The pair, who had already sprung a surprise by beating defending champions Bob and Mike Bryan in the semi-finals, now hope to qualify for the season-ending Barclays ATP Tour Finals. They received 2,000 ranking points for winning, which puts them in pole position to secure a place at the 02.

Marray, the first home player since 1936 to win the Wimbledon men’s doubles title, is a journeyman pro. The 31-year-old achieved a best singles ranking of 215 in April 2005, the year after he reached the third round at Queen’s Club, and was 74th in the doubles ahead of the Wimbledon Championships.

He said: “Every round I won during Wimbledon I was keeping tabs on where my ranking would be because it gets me into better tournaments throughout the year.

“As for the O2 Finals, it is something I’ve always dreamed about playing in, especially as it’s at the O2 in London. It would be a massive bonus if we could qualify.”

Marray is set to become the highest-ranked British doubles player when the new list is published next week but he knows the achievement may not be enough to earn a Davis Cup call ahead of the established doubles pairing of Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins.

He said: “Obviously I would like to be part of the team but Ross and Colin have been doing great and have a great record. It would be hard to shift them out of the team.”

By winning the doubles with Nielsen, whose grandfather Kurt was runner-up in the men’s singles in 1953 and 1955, Marray received £130,000, almost half his entire career earnings of £275,000. Hit by injuries, he admitted there had been times when he considered quitting the sport but added: “I felt like I had a bit of unfinished business.”

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