Jamie Murray insists the wait will be worth it after announcing the Schroders Battle of the Brits will go ahead in December at P&J Live.
The event, which pits hosts Scotland against the Auld Enemy England, was due to go ahead last month but was postponed due to the outbreak of the Omicron Covid-19 variant.
However, tournament director Murray is delighted a new date for the event has been found and he will be joined by his brother Sir Andy Murray for the match against England on December 21 and 22.
Jamie Murray said: “We were gutted when the event couldn’t go ahead as planned so it’s brilliant news that we’re able to reschedule for December this year.
“I hope it will be worth the wait. It’s a great line-up and the whole Scotland v England aspect will be fun.
“Fans always get behind that and the reason we’re putting on the event is to bring live tennis to Scotland and have the opportunity to play at home in front of the Scottish fans.
“It’s a year later than we would have liked but hopefully we’ll get there in the end.”
Murray grateful for players’ commitment to playing in Aberdeen
Murray shared in the disappointment of seeing the original event postponed just days before it was due to take place last month but is thrilled the players have reaffirmed their commitment to playing in Aberdeen.
He said: “We’ve tried to keep the players up to date on events and make sure they are still on board. It’s not easy as you are talking about eight different players, eight different schedules.
“Some guys are doing their pre-season in America while others are in Dubai so it has not been easy.
“We were looking at March but it wasn’t possible in terms of player availability.
“We looked at trying to find other dates but it became clear December again was the best time and that’s why we will have to wait a full 12 months.
“It’s tough but we’re just so relieved we’re still able to make this happen and hopefully we won’t have any roadblocks again and we’ll be able to put on a great event.”
Excitement building for Murray brothers’ return to Scotland
The Murray brothers will be in action in Scotland for the first time since 2016 when they step on the court at P&J Live with the duo spearheading a Scottish team to take on an England side which will feature Dan Evans and some of the brightest tennis talents from south of the border.
Murray, who celebrates his 36th birthday in two week’s time, said: “There has been such fantastic buzz around bringing Battle of the Brits to Aberdeen and I think that’s only going to get bigger throughout the year.
“I know Andy and the rest of the players are already excited and I’m sure there will be plenty of competitive chat amongst us all between now and the first ball being hit.
“We’ve had such limited opportunities to compete in Scotland in our careers and we want to bring live tennis to Scotland as much as we can.
“As we’re getting older those opportunities become less and less and it’s so important we try to build on the interest Andy has generated in the sport in the last 15 years.
“Bar a few Davis Cup ties we haven’t had too many events in Scotland which is why we wanted to do this and it remains the motivation for the Scottish guys even 12 months later.”
Murray added: “For all the players I hope the guys all go out and have a great year on tour, win matches and tournaments and improve their rankings.
“It will bode well for this event to have the guys all together in December in good form and re-energised for the Battle of the Brits.”
All tickets originally booked for December 2021 will be valid at this December’s rescheduled event plus a small number of additional tickets are also now available via the P&J Live and Ticketmaster: https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/battle-of-the-brits-scotland-v-england-live-tennis-tickets/artist/5346995
