Murray loses a five-set epic, says ‘gave everything I had’
AUSTRALIAN OPEN RD 1 Scot loses to Bautista Agut
MELBOURNE: If this was it for Andy Murray, if this truly was it, he gave himself — and an appreciative, raucous crowd that included his mother and brother — quite a gutsy goodbye, the type of never-give-in performance he’s famous for. What Murray could not quite do Monday at the Australian Open was finish off a stirring comeback and prolong what might just be the final tournament of his career.
Playing on a surgically repaired right hip so painful that pulling on socks is a chore, he summoned the strength and strokes to erase a big deficit and force a fifth set before eventually succumbing to 22nd-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-2, Murray’s first openinground loss at a Grand Slam tournament in 11 years. “If this was my last match ... I gave literally everything I had,” Murray told a Melbourne Arena, his voice shaking. “It wasn’t enough tonight.”
Murray is a year removed from the operation, and he announced in the days leading up to the Australian Open that he will retire in 2019. The biggest question is whether he’ll be able to make it to Wimbledon. Murray later said he would make a decision
on further surgery that could end his career “within a week”.
HOPES REMAIN
He had raised the prospect that he might not be able to continue this week, although he did leave a bit of room for himself after the match, saying: “Maybe I’ll see you again. I’ll do everything possible to try. If I want to go again, I’ll need to have a big operation (and) there’s no guarantees I’ll be able to come back, anyway.”
Even with a hitch in his gait, even as he leaned forward to rest
his hands on his knees between points, Murray summoned the strength and the strokes to push the match beyond the 4-hour mark. The fans roared when Murray managed to break back to 2-all on the way to taking the third set. They chanted his name when he grabbed the fourth set. They rose when the contest ended. Afterward, a video was shown with tributes to Murray from various players, including rivals Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, along with Caroline Wozniacki and Karolina Pliskova.