US Open: Andy Murray playing 'best tennis' and charged up ahead of Dimitrov meeting

Andy Murray is happy with his recent performances, saying he is playing his "best tennis" since his back-to-back hip surgeries.

Murray's comments came on Wednesday ahead of his second-round meeting with Grigor Dimitrov in the ongoing US Open. The former champion is one of the six British players aiming to reach the third round at Flushing Meadows. Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans, Jack Draper, Katie Boulter and Jodie Burrage are also scheduled to play on day four of the tournament.

Andy Murray: It's not been an easy journey

Following his win against France's Corentin Moutet in straight sets in the opening round, World No. 37 Murray admitted he would like to be ranked "higher."

"I'm at my highest ranking (37) since I had my metal hip put in. I'm happy with that. It's not been an easy journey. I would like to be ranked higher but this is the best I've played consistently since 2017," Murray said in the post-match interview.

Murray has come a long way

Murray's first hip surgery took place in 2018. However, just ahead of the 2019 Australian Open, an emotional Murray announced in a press conference that he could possibly retire from professional tennis due to the reoccurring hip injury as he had been suffering from pain on a daily basis. There were times when Murray even struggled to put his shoes and socks on by himself.

He spoke about a second hip surgery, but expressed concerns if it was an ideal option to prolong his career or merely allow him to "have a better quality of life, and be out of pain."

At the end of January, the Scottish player underwent a second hip operation and a he returned to the professional circuit by June. From falling out of the top 800 in the ATP rankings, Murray is now ranked No. 37 in the world, four years later, which is a great achievement for someone who once considered ending his career.

The last time Murray faced Bulgaria's Dimitrov was back in 2016. Eight out of their previous 11 meetings have gone in favour of the three-time Grand Slam champion. However, in their most high profile match, which was the 2014 Wimbledon quarter-finals, it was Dimitrov who had emerged victorious, sealing the game in straight sets.

Murray is set to take on Dimitrov on Thursday in the second round of the US Open at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

At present, Dimitrov is currently training under two coaches who spent long and successful runs working with Murray - Britain's Jamie Delgado and Venezuelan Dani Vallverdu.

"I've played quite a lot of matches against ex-coaches - I think I've only lost once. I mean, it probably should be a big advantage for him to have two guys that have worked with me over the years. But we'll find out," added Murray, who won the major trophy in New York in 2012.

UK's Norrie, Draper gearing up for second round

On the other hand, British No. 1 Norrie, who is chasing his maiden Grand Slam title, has been training with World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.

Alcaraz and Norrie could come face to face in the last-16 of the US Open this year. But before that, the two have two matches to negotiate, with Norrie next taking on Taiwanese qualifier and World No. 237 Hsu Yu-hsiou.

"I'm always practising or trying to play with the best players. I really enjoy playing points with Carlos. You kind of feed off that energy," said Norrie, who has not made it past the third round of any Grand Slam this year.

Another British player who would be playing on Thursday, Draper, said having six Britons in singles action acts as motivation.

"Definitely having other Brits do well in the draw is amazing for British tennis - we can all push each other to be better. I've always got on well with Cam, Andy, Dan. Those guys have been incredible role models for me and good support. I'm just very lucky to have them, I suppose," added 21-year-old Draper.