Andy Murray said he had silenced the doubters after defeating Italian 13th seed Matteo Berrettini in five gruelling sets on Tuesday to book a spot in the Australian Open second round.
The three-time Grand Slam champion has battled major hip and abdominal injuries for half a decade but declared himself free of pain and fired up before the tournament.
His renowned grit was on full display in saving match point to topple Berrettini 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (10-6) in 4hr 49min under a closed roof on Rod Laver Arena due to extreme heat, which halted several matches on the outside courts.
It was a huge win for the 35-year-old Scot, now ranked 66th, to knock out the 2022 semi-finalist.
"I think, the last few years, I've certainly questioned myself at times," said Murray, a five-time runner-up at Melbourne Park and former world No. 1 who faces Thanasi Kokkinakis or Fabio Fognini next.
"There's certainly a lot of people who questioned me and my ability, whether I could still perform at the biggest events and the biggest matches.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 18, 2023 من The Straits Times.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 18, 2023 من The Straits Times.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
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