Andy Murray preps for Sandgren rematch in Zhuhai

A fitter, healthier Murray will look to exact revenge on American Tennys Sandgren this week in Zhuhai. Last month, Sandgren defeated the Scot in straight sets in the Winston-Salem Open first round.

Murray is one of Sandgren’s favorite players; he has a huge respect for Murray’s work ethic and down-to -earth personality.

The two were practice partners at the 2012 Delray Beach Open and the former world No. 1 never forgot the Tennessee native.

“Andy is a guy who has always been super nice to me,” Sandgren said. "He’d always make a point to say, ‘Hello, how’s it going? What’s your ranking at? How are you doing?’ I’m just one of the guys who gets the opportunity to play a legend and that’s cool."

Murray is finally playing pain-free and is eager to reclaim his place atop the ATP rankings, but that didn’t stop him from having some fun with other top pros at the neon-themed Zhuhai player party.

Murray played doubles to gain some much needed match play this season, but opted to skip the US Open entirely. He chose to play the Rafa Nadal Open instead, an ATP Challenger tournament in Manacor, Spain, where he lost in the round of 16.