He’s caught Covid, picked up other injuries, seen his world ranking drop from top four to the 120 mark. They seem desperate for you to retire and stop doing what you love doingīut then, a miracle! Less than three weeks later, he had major hip resurfacing surgery and decided to carry on playing to fight his way back. People say he can’t stay fit, he can’t do this. At only 31, he was being forced to end a brilliant career in the sport he’d loved all his life, and he was devastated. When he returned, he said he hoped to be able to continue to play until Wimbledon, then stop: “But also, I’m not sure I’m able to do that.” And he got upset again, fiddling with the rim of his cap as he tried to contain his emotions. “Not great,” he said, and couldn’t say any more. At a pre-tournament press conference, asked, “How have you been feeling?” he broke down. His pain has been so extreme that two years ago, at the Australian Open, he seemed done. If you were to go over Murray’s recent past, you might conclude that someone, somewhere ( Novak Djokovic perhaps?) has an Andy Murray doll and has been sticking pins in it – especially in his right hip, which has been his downfall. ‘Not great.’ Photograph: Scott Barbour/Getty Images I am very happy with the win.Before the Australian Open in 2019, asked how he was feeling, Murray broke down. I am happy with how I handled the nerves and tension through the match, to play good tennis. “He knows very well how to play a grand slam match. “Always playing Andy is very tough,” Bautista Agut said during his on-court interview. “2 days ago I randomly bumped into the doctor who in 2017 told me ‘the good news is the problem you have in your hip can be fixed but you won’t be able to play professional sport again.’ I think we dispelled that myth the last 5 days,” Murray tweeted after the match on Saturday.īautista Agut will now play American Tommy Paul in the last 16. The pair had previously met on the Margaret Court Arena in 2019 in what was supposedly Murray’s last game at the grand slam.īut the veteran decided to continue his career and, after receiving multiple treatments for injuries, Murray has proved he still has more to give four years later. Murray never went away though, and continued to punish his opponent until the very end and produced an array of stunning shots.Īfter losing match point, Murray received a standing ovation from the crowd as he limped off the court. The grueling second set seemed to take its toll on Murray as Bautista Agut had the edge for the rest of the match. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images AsiaPac/Getty Images Murray struggled physically for much of the match. It was yet another example of the grit and determination Murray brings to the sport of tennis but, on this occasion, it just wasn’t enough. It was no surprise, then, that Murray looked exhausted as he struggled to get grips with the first set which was over before it really began.īut, as he has done throughout his career, Murray dug deep and rallied from a break down in the second set to win an astonishing tie break. The second round match, which finished on Friday morning, was the longest of Murray’s career. The 35-year-old had needed five sets to beat Matteo Berrettini in the first round of the tournament and then rallied from two sets down to beat Thanasi Kokkinakis in an epic contest which lasted five hours and 45 minutes and finished at 4.05am. Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesĪndy Murray left fuming as he's not allowed to use toilet during five-set marathon at Australian Open Andy Murray of Great Britain reacts during the change over in their round two singles match against Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia during day four of the 2023 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Januin Melbourne, Australia.
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