Australian Open – Four years after his false farewell, Andy Murray still believes in his star

A champion never dies. The adage can annoy by dint of being repeated, especially since all players, as brilliant as they are, obviously end up retiring from sport. But it remains interesting in its implicit meaning: some are more capable of overcoming hardships than others. This is undeniably the case of Andy Murray who could have thrown in the towel many times for almost six years (he had stopped for a long time after Wimbledon 2017, editor’s note) that he has suffered from his right hip. But passionate, the Scot continues and always hopes to amaze.

Remember, it was January 11, 2019, during his pre-tournament press conference. “I would like to finish at Wimbledon, but I don’t even know if I will be able to. I’m not sure I can play with the pain for four or five more months. The Australian Open may be my last….”, he had let go without being able to finish his sentence, his voice choking with sobs. But after a heavy operation, “Sir Andy” had found good years, bad years the courts a few months later. A first miracle.

He has come back up the slope, but not enough to be protected in a Grand Slam

The second was seeing the Scot make his return to the Top 100. And even the Top 50 (he’s 66th this week after losing points from his final in Adelaide in 2022) with a hip of metal, and despite repeated physical glitches more or less linked to this serious injury. Yes, but here he is, he has not yet managed to progress to the point of becoming a seed again in the Grand Slams. So inevitably, Murray is exposed and fate did not spare him in Melbourne since he will challenge Matteo Berrettini, 14th in the world.

“It’s obviously a hard drawhe reacted to reporters. But I also feel much better before this Australian Open than I did last year before each of the four Grand Slam tournaments. I feel well prepared and ready to play one of the best players in the world, even if it’s very early in the tournament. Last season sometimes I didn’t feel my tennis very well. I’ve played it three times since coming back from injury, or maybe four. At the US Open, it was tight (defeat in four sets and 3h47 in the 3rd round, editor’s note), in the Stuttgart final too. And physically, I’m better than a few months ago in New York, I’m playing better in training.“

This is not the first time that Murray has faced such a Grand Slam entry challenge since his comeback. In 2021 at Flushing Meadows, he was heroic before giving in after five sets against Stefanos Tsitsipas, then world number 3. And that’s the problem. Catchy, he can raise his level and hit the best of three sets. He even beat Top 10 members again in this format. But in the Majors, it’s another story: he hasn’t reached the second week since 2017. So why would it be different in 2023 when the weight of the years is more felt?

“I had time to train well, to improve certain things. I also worked a lot in the gym. And in the matches I’ve played at the start of the year, whether in Adelaide (beaten 7-6, 6-3 by future finalist Sebastian Korda, editor’s note) or in Kooyong (winner 6-3, 6-3 of Alex de Minaur in exhibition), I have seen significant progress in my travels compared to last year at this time of year. And when I move well, the rest usually follows. It’s really important to me. And since the conditions are quite fast here, it’s better to feel light on your supports“, he noted.

A possible big performance against Berrettini could trigger a dynamic likely to make him cross another course, the person concerned is convinced of it. And “Sir Andy” has another driving force: he likes nothing more than to surprise his world and silence the ominous birds. Wasn’t many of them upset that the Scot used so many wild cards to enter the Majors and Masters 1000 draws? Slowly but surely, he managed to regain a ranking that allowed him to do without, carried by his work and his perseverance.

And while the question of retirement was a recurring one at press conferences in 2019 and 2020, it is not so much anymore. Moreover, Murray is not moved by the progress made, which says a lot about his state of mind. “Recently, I haven’t thought about it much. I am no longer too much in this perspective of reflection in relation to the path travelled. I rather look to the future, no matter how many years I have left to play. I focus on what I can do to get the best out of my game, my body and get the best possible results. Four or five years ago, it’s clear that I didn’t think that I would play again, and moreover with the hope of improving.“, he observed again.

Like a Magnus Norman with Stan Wawrinka, Ivan Lendl still believes in his foal with whom he has been working again for a few months. The proof is: he made the trip to Australia, which always denotes a certain degree of involvement. Taking Berrettini in the first lap is undeniably the risk of repacking your bags very quickly for the two friends. But the Italian should not be happy to open his tournament against the old British lion either. Because the latter remains a sacred predator.