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Former world number one Andy Murray said on Saturday that protocols and processes should be implemented by tennis authorities when players such as his Wimbledon first round opponent Nikoloz Basilashvili are the subject of serious allegations.
The Georgian 24th seed continued to star on the tour while facing domestic violence charges against his ex-wife, which he denies.
Legal proceedings are in progress.
The pressure off the pitch has not weighed on the 29-year-old who has won two titles since March and reached the semi-finals of the Halle turf tournament last week.
Murray was one of the few players to speak out after allegations of serious assault were made last year by Alexander Zverev’s ex-girlfriend, which the German claimed was untrue.
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“For me there should be protocols and a process in place when such allegations are made,” Murray said at his pre-Wimbledon press conference.
“I don’t know exactly what these processes are. From what I’ve heard, they’re not great.
“This is something that the ATP, the governing bodies, the ITF (International Tennis Federation), the Slams should seek to implement in my opinion.”
The 34-year-old two-time Wimbledon champion said he was in as good shape as he could get as he prepared for his first singles action at the turf Grand Slam event since 2017.
He returned to singles play at Queen’s last week after suffering a groin injury in March – he reached the second round where he lost in straight sets to future champion Matteo Berrettini.
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“I want to enter Wimbledon feeling as fresh and comfortable as possible when I’m there,” he said.
“Yeah, I would say my time on the court has been good.”
“Playing with Roger (Federer Friday) was really cool for me.
“It’s the kind of thing that probably six or seven years ago, I wouldn’t have thought about it.
“I would have seen it as just being a pre-major training session with a top player, and sort of focusing on myself.”
“To improve yourself”
Murray has had numerous fitness issues over the past few years, from hip to groin, but has struggled constantly to re-perform on the tour.
He said it was the allure of big moments such as playing on center court at Wimbledon that has been the incentive to overcome the many weak moments of recent times.
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“I miss being on center court, things like that.
“I miss the pressure of that too.
“It’s something I can’t wait to feel again.
“I think, again, like six or seven years ago, I wasn’t afraid of that pressure, but it was something that, like, I insisted a lot.”
“So actually when I think about the last few years and all that, it’s actually something that I’ve really missed, playing in front of a big crowd on center court.”
“I also think, like, the daily routine of things, just like trying to always improve a little bit each day is something that I love too.”
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