World number four Andy Murray lost his first match since his back surgery last September at the 2013 Mubadala World Tennis Championship. The Wimbledon 2013 champion lost to tenth-ranked Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets 5-7, 3-6.
“The courts here are very fast and you have to react quickly. Jo was sharper than me today – he served very well. It”s always good fun here. It”s great preparation for the season as you have to play against the best in the world,” Murray said after the match.
Tsonga was at his element during the match and left rusty Murray trying to keep up as much as possible. The loss means that Murray will face Stanislas Wawrinka for the fifth place on Friday. Wawrinka also lost his opening match to third-ranked David Ferrer. Meanwhile, Tsonga earns a semifinal berth and will face defending champion and second-ranked Novak Djokovic.
