14 hours 16 minutes. This is when Andy Murray will spend just three games on the Australian Open courts. From their first round against Matteo Berrettini, the Briton needed five sets (3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6, 6-7) and 4 hours 50 minutes to get rid of the Italian. The 35-year-old player pushed his limits even more in the second round. In a new match of five sets (4-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 7-5) Andy Murray defeated Thanasi Kokkinakis in 5 hours 45 minutes, the longest match of his Scottish career. Murray, who faced Roberto Bautista-Agut in the third round on Saturday, gave up after a great four-set (1-6, 7-6, 3-6, 4-6) struggle.
At the post-match press conference, Andy Murray returned to his elimination against Roberto Bautista-Agut:I feel very different emotions. I really gave everything I had for this tournament and I’m proud of it. That’s all I can do. No matter what we talk about, we should always try to do our best. You can’t always control the outcome, but you can control the effort you put into achieving success. And I really gave my all in those three games. I’m proud of it, but I’m also disappointed. I’ve worked hard for this start to the season. I was playing well enough to go far enough, I feel like I could have gone a little further.“
Andy Murray reassures him that his long matches in the previous rounds did not help him in his fight against the Spaniard: “After the Kokkinakis game I slept from 6am to 9am which is not enough. I had seven or eight blisters on my feet, I wasn’t in great shape, but my legs were fine. On the other hand, I had a slight pain in my lower back, which affected my service. This was what bothered me the most. How sleep deprived I am is hard to measure, but it certainly didn’t help.“The former world number 1, who had already made a rant after his win over Thanasis Kokkinakis, was once again close from the schedule of the matches in Melbourne: “If you ask sleep experts or sports scientists who really know what’s important for an athlete’s recovery, they will surely tell you that sleep is the most important thing. So finishing a game at 4am is not good for players.“
NO
Source: Programme Television
Joseph Fearn is an entertainment and television aficionado who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for what’s hot in the world of TV, Joseph keeps his readers informed about the latest trends and must-see shows.
