Andy Murray was able to put up a show at the Australian Open 2023. The former World No.1 inspiring run at Melbourne came to an end after he lost to Roberto Bautista Agut in four sets. Murray played a five-hour marathon against 13th seed Matteo Berrettini in the first round of the Happy Slam.
If that was not enough, the Brit went on to play the longest match of his career (5 hours and 45 minutes) and the second longest at the Australian Open as he bested local lad Thanasi Kokkinakis in a thrilling five-set contest. Murray just didn’t have enough gas for the third round but didn’t bow out before putting up another resilient fight on the court.
Murray feels he still has some fuel left in his tank and he can do some damage. The Briton believes he can have a deeper run than the third round of a Slam in the rest of the season.
Murray has had two hip surgeries and he has been playing with a metal hip, which is truly inspiring.
“You never know exactly when the end is going to be,” said Murray, who underwent a second hip surgery after the Australian Open in 2019. “I would like to go out playing tennis like this, where I’m competing with the best players in the world in the biggest events and doing myself justice.
“There were maybe times the last year or so where I didn’t really feel like I was playing well, and I didn’t enjoy the way that I was playing. Those sacrifices and that effort that I put in allowed me to get through those matches and play at a high level that I think was entertaining for the people watching.
“I felt good about the way that I was playing. It’s more enjoyable for me when I’m playing like that, when I’m coming into a major event and really believing that I can do some damage.”
“I can have a deeper run than the third round of a Slam, there’s no question about that,” he said. “Obviously draws can open up for you. I need to also help myself with that. If I was playing at this level last year, I probably wouldn’t be ranked 50, 60 in the world. It’s up to me to try and change that.”
Murray was brilliant in the first two rounds and this performance would have certainly given him a lot of confidence. The veteran still has a lot of fighting spirit in him and he will look to keep going strong.
