Defeat in Melbourne – but no meek surrender

The words “Thank You Andy Murray” were emblazoned on the big screens at the Australian Open yesterday.

And a host of tennis luminaries, including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, paid lavish tributes to the redoubtable Scot. Yet, if the first-round match was the occasion where people were preparing obituaries for his glorious career, they were forced to wait longer than they had expected while the Scot was involved in a pulsating, but ultimately unsuccessful five-set thriller with No 22 seed, Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut.

Eventually, as the shadows lengthened over Melbourne, the twilight beckoned for Murray, whose infinite resolve and determination could not prevent him from losing the final set 6-2 after dragging himself back into contention.

However, even though he had announced his retirement in advance of the Australian Open, nobody could possibly have imagined the Lazarus-style recovery which saw the 31-year-old orchestrate a remarkable counter-attack from two sets down.

In the build-up to the start of the season’s first Grand Slam, all we heard were the tracks of Murray’s tears as his frustration bubbled over at his litany of hip problems.

Yet, with some of the pressure off his shoulders, he was able to swing free and loose as he battled back from the brink against the 22nd seed.

It seemed there was nothing left in the tank when he was beaten 6-4, 6-4 in the opening two sets, but he has always been a redoubtable character, and his response in adversity was as terrific as we have come to expect. He produced all manner of coruscating ground strokes, drop shots and aces to launch his fightback and won two consecutive tie breaks 7-6.

In the end, there wasn’t enough left in the tank and the Spaniard triumphed. Yet, even at the climax, with Murray facing match point, he sprinted round the court as if he was Usain Bolt, and eventually made Bautista Agut serve one more time.

It was a reminder of one of his greatest gifts: the refusal to bow down in any circumstances, allied to his ability to retrieve the most desperate of situations.

At the end, Judy Murray stood up in the crowd and applauded her son and the spectators rose as one, while We Are The Champions reverberated through the arena.

But if this was the end for Murray, he went out with a flourish. As the victor said: “I want to congratulate Andy for everything he has done for tennis.”

So should everybody else.