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.
This story is from the January 18, 2023 edition of The Straits Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 18, 2023 edition of The Straits Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
‘NEVER-ENDING’ SUCCESS FOR TAN
S’porean adds cup to league title, Dortmund keen to retain her services for next season
BOSTON PUT PAST BEHIND TO PROGRESS
Celtics take revenge on Heat with big win to book place in 2nd round of NBA play-offs
TAN THE MAN AT BARRIER TRIALS
Low-profile trainer makes presence felt with Single Warrior, Big Union at morning hit-outs
DBS starts the year strong as Ql profit hits new high of $2.95b
Its fee income gets boost from stronger market sentiment, higher card spending
Fed keeps rates at 23-year high amid stubborn price rises
US central bank cites lack of further progress’ towards its 2% inflation target
South Korea’s inflation slows more than expected in April
But weakening won poses challenge to policymakers’ efforts to cool price growth
Qualcomm gives upbeat sales forecast In sign of smartphone recovery
China remains crucial amid sales surge to its phone-makers in first half of fiscal year
Driver in crash that killed prof was checking GPS on phone
He says he was in a state of panic when he told police officer he had fallen asleep at the wheel
Agencies hold joint counter-terrorism exercise
A joint counter-terrorism exercise by various government agencies was held on April 30 and May 1 to test the Republic's preparedness in the event of a terror attack, the police said on May 2.
Five-year-old is youngest S'porean to reach Everest Base Camp
Pre-schooler makes trek to camp situated at altitude of 5,364m in Nepal with his father
