The Aberdeen Cup was an annual exhibition tennis tournament held between national teams representing England and Scotland. It was hosted in the Aberdeen Exhibition Centre in Aberdeen, Scotland. The tournament was held in 2005 and 2006, but there has been no indication that the tournament will be played again.

History

The involvement of Andy Murray, who rose into the top 100 in the ATP rankings in 2005, was largely the source of public interest in the competition.[1] The inaugural tournament, held in that year, was won by Scotland.[2][3][4] This event was the only time that Murray played Greg Rusedski; they never met on the ATP tour. This was the first time that Andy and his brother Jamie Murray played doubles as seniors.[5]

The following year, Scotland successfully defended their title[6][7][8][9][10][11] amidst criticism from Murray regarding the court surface and the ticket prices, as well as low attendance rates compared to the previous year, and the perceived lack of quality English players for future events.[12]

The 2005 tournament was broadcast live on Sky Sports, but in 2006, only highlights were shown on Sky Sports.[13]

Format

The Scotland team was captained by Andy Murray, with Greg Rusedski leading the England side.[14] The tournament was held in a similar form to a Davis Cup match.[15] There were rubbers in both singles and doubles play. Unlike the Davis Cup, there were also male and female junior players taking part,[5] with each of their rubbers worth half that of a senior rubber, and one ladies player on each team. Furthermore, with the exception of the 'headline' matches, between the two team captains, senior matches were only two sets long, with a 1–1 tie settled by tie-break. The junior matches were played over four games (see: Tennis score).

Results

Year Winner Score Loser Score Venue
2005 Scotland Scotland 4+1⁄2 England England 2+1⁄2 Aberdeen Exhibition Centre
2006 Scotland Scotland 6+1⁄2 England England 1

2005

Saturday 26 November

Scotland Results England
Jamie Murray 0–1 David Sherwood
Elena Baltacha 1–0 Katie O’Brien
Clare Sawyer 1⁄2–0 Joanna Henderson
Andy Murray 0–1 Greg Rusedski

Sunday 27 November

Scotland Results England
Andy Murray/
Jamie Murray		 1–0 Greg Rusedski/
David Sherwood
Scott Lister 0–1⁄2 Oliver Golding
Jamie Murray/
Elena Baltacha		 1–0 David Sherwood/
Katie O’Brien
Andy Murray 1–0 Greg Rusedski

2006

Saturday 25 November

Scotland Results England
Jamie Murray James Auckland
Caitlin Steel Hannah James
James McKie James Chaudry
Elena Baltacha Katie O’Brien
Andy Murray Greg Rusedski

Sunday 26 November

Scotland Results England
Andy Murray/
Jamie Murray 		1–0 Greg Rusedski/
James Auckland
James McKie/
Caitlin Steel 		1⁄2–0 James Chaudry /
Hannah James
Jamie Murray/
Elena Baltacha		 1–0 James Auckland/
Katie O’Brien
Andy Murray 1–0 Greg Rusedski

References

  1. ↑ "Cup rests on whim of Murray". The Telegraph. 28 November 2005.
  2. ↑ "Rusedski defuses Murray challenge". BBC Sport. 26 November 2005.
  3. ↑ "Murray gains revenge on Rusedski". BBC Sport. 27 November 2005.
  4. ↑ "Murray's home show ends in hollow triumph". The Guardian. 28 November 2005.
  5. 1 2 "Murray out to please Scots crowd". BBC Sport. 25 November 2005.
  6. ↑ "Tennis aces serve up Aberdeen tie". BBC Sport. 16 May 2006.
  7. ↑ "Murray to lead Scots in Aberdeen". BBC Sport. 23 June 2006.
  8. ↑ "Murray's focus still on improvement". The Scotsman. 19 November 2006.
  9. ↑ "Elder Murray aims for cup double". BBC Sport. 23 November 2006.
  10. ↑ "Creaking Rusedski plans to soldier on". The Independent. 25 November 2006. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  11. ↑ "Murray defeats Rusedski to wrap up Scottish success". The Guardian. 27 November 2006.
  12. ↑ "Murray wants a sport for all Scot hits out at tennis elitism and the Aberdeen Cup". Herald Scotland. 27 November 2006.
  13. ↑ "ALL CHANGE FOR CUP". Herald Scotland. 5 November 2006.
  14. ↑ "Murray keen on patriot games with Rusedski". The Guardian. 22 November 2005.
  15. ↑ "Murray & Rusedski announce clash". BBC Sport. 12 October 2005.
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