Andy Murray had already spent nearly 11 hours on court docket within the Australian Open earlier than taking part in Roberto Bautista Agut
| Venue: Melbourne Park Dates: 16-29 January |
| Protection: Commentary each day from 07:00 GMT on BBC Radio 5 Sports activities Further ‘Tennis Breakfast’ dwell from Melbourne, with chosen dwell textual content commentaries and match studies on the BBC Sport web site & app |
Andy Murray says he’s doing himself “justice” at main occasions and believes he can nonetheless “do some injury” following his Australian Open exit.
Murray completed his second-round match at 4am on Friday and returned to Melbourne Park 39 hours later to face the Spanish twenty fourth seed.
“I can have a deeper run than the third spherical, there is no query,” he stated.
“I am competing in opposition to a man ranked 20 on this planet and it is nonetheless very tight contemplating the circumstances.”
Murray, ranked 66th on this planet, wanted 5 hours and 45 minutes to beat Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis in a second-round match ending within the early hours of Friday.
That got here after the three-time main champion took almost 5 hours to win his opening encounter in opposition to Italian thirteenth seed Matteo Berrettini on Tuesday.
After seeing off Kokkinakis, Murray stated he managed simply three hours’ sleep earlier than returning to have “seven or eight” blisters on his toes drained.
He then returned to court docket at 19:00 native time on Saturday to face Bautista Agut, 34, and it was rapidly obvious the Scot was struggling to maneuver.
Regardless of a battling effort, former world primary Murray was unable to succeed in the fourth spherical of a significant for the primary time since 2017.
“There have been perhaps instances within the final 12 months or so the place I did not actually really feel like I used to be taking part in effectively and I did not get pleasure from the way in which that I used to be taking part in,” he stated.
“The sacrifices and the hassle I put in allowed me to get via these matches [against Berrettini and Kokkinakis] and play at a excessive stage that I feel was entertaining for the individuals watching.
“I felt good about the way in which that I used to be taking part in. It is extra pleasurable for me once I’m taking part in like that, once I’m coming into a significant occasion and actually believing that I can do some injury.”
Murray introduced on the 2019 Australian Open that he deliberate to have hip resurfacing surgical procedure, which he feared would finish his profession.
After shedding to Bautista Agut within the first spherical, the match performed a now-infamous retirement video that includes goodbye messages from his rivals.
However, 4 years later, Murray remains to be taking part in and he’s upbeat about his probabilities of a deep run at a significant.
“Clearly you by no means know precisely when the top goes to be,” he added.
“I wish to exit taking part in tennis like this, the place I am competing with the most effective gamers on this planet within the largest occasions and doing myself justice.”
Evaluation
BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller at Melbourne Park
What may Andy Murray obtain in the remainder of this 12 months’s Grand Slams if he doesn’t must stand up after three hours’ sleep – and a 04:05 end – to have some blisters drained?
Attracts can open up, as this Australian Open has proven. Having knocked out Berrettini, Murray’s path to the semi-finals wouldn’t have contained a single high 20 participant – though that’s tutorial now.
Murray took nice delight from a screenshot he was despatched which advised he had completed extra factors on the web than anybody else, though he’ll know he must be faster to wrap up matches.
I at all times thought a high 50 rating can be each a powerful achievement and probably the most he may obtain following his two hip operations.
However the way in which he has emerged from pre-season coaching, and people three spartan weeks in Florida, means I may have to regulate my sights.