Murray, with bad hip, bows out in 1st round
He forces fifth set, but loses after a gutsy performance
MELBOURNE, Australia — 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
opening-round loss at a Grand Slam tournament in 11 years.
“If today was my last match, look, it was a brilliant way to finish,” Murray said. “I literally gave everything that I had on the court, fought as best as I could, and performed a lot better than what I should have done with the amount I’ve been able to practice and train.”
Murray, just 31, is a year removed from his operation, and he said that he will decide in the next week or so whether to have a second one.
If he opts to avoid another procedure, he might be able to play in July at Wimbledon, where he won two of his three major titles, including the first for a British man in 77 years.
If he decides for further surgery, then Monday’s match might have been his last.
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.
And the fans tried to will Murray past Bautista Agut, who had lost in straight sets all three previous matches the two men had played.
They roared when Murray managed to break back to 2-all on the way to taking the third set, with his mom, Judy, smiling widely as she stood alongside other spectators.
They chanted his name when he grabbed the fourth set.
They rose when the compelling contest ended.
“Andy deserves this atmosphere. Andy deserves (that) all the people came to watch him,” Bautista Agut said. “He’s a tough, tough fighter. A tough opponent. He gives everything until the last point. I want to congratulate him for all he did for tennis.”
Afterward, a video was shown in the stadium with tributes to Murray from various players, including rivals Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, along with Nick Kyrgios, Caroline Wozniacki, Karolina Pliskova and Sloane Stephens.
“Amazing career. Congratulations, buddy,” Federer said. “I’m your biggest fan.”
Serena Williams was relentless in her first appearance at Melbourne Park since winning the title in 2017, losing only five points in the opening set on her way to a 6-0, 6-2 win over Tatjana Maria in just 49 minutes.
The 23-time major winner didn’t defend her title last year while she was taking time off following the birth of her daughter.
Maria wasn’t helped by her woeful serving — she made only three of 14 first serves in the opening set.
Williams gave Maria, who also has a daughter, a warm embrace at the end of the match.
The 16th-seeded Williams will face Eugenie Bouchard in the second round. Bouchard advanced with a 6-2, 6-1 win over wild-card entry Peng Shuai.
Kei Nishikori rallied from two sets down and won 10 consecutive games before Kamil Majchrzak retired with the score at 3-6, 6-7 (6), 6-0, 6-2, 3-0.
The highest-seeded player to exit was No. 9 John Isner, who hit 47 aces but lost 7-6 (4), 7-6 (6), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5) against 97th-ranked Reilly Opelka in an all-American match.
The most attention, though, was drawn by Murray, who is as popular for his success on the court as his attitude away from it. The stands were dotted with British and Scottish flags and with signs of support.
When Bautista Agut entered, he was greeted by a smattering of polite applause. When Murray was introduced, there were fullthroated screams, followed by chants of his first name.
As play began, Murray delighted his well-wishers every so often with terrific shots on a full sprint and his trademark, quick-reflex returns.
When he flubbed a shot or otherwise let a point slide by, Murray displayed the muttering and legslapping self-contempt the world has come to know and expect — and, let’s face it, love — from the guy.
For all that Murray accomplished over the years, including reaching No. 1 in the rankings and a pair of Olympic singles gold medals, he never was able to leave Melbourne with the trophy, finishing as the runner-up five times.
When Murray eventually succumbed to his weariness — not to mention Bautista Agut — the arena speakers blared Queen’s “We are the Champions,” with its fitting line: “And we’ll keep on fighting ‘til the end.”
If this was, indeed, the end, Murray did just that.
“I’d be OK,” he said, “with that being my last match.”