Murray falls short but gives it his all

MELBOURNE, Australia — If this truly was it for Andy Murray, he gave himself — and an appreciative, raucous crowd that included his mother and brother — quite a gutsy goodbye, the type of nevergive-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 be his final tournament.

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 succumbing to 22nd-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-2.

“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. 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 pushed the match beyond the 4-hour mark.

And the fans tried to will him past Bautista Agut. They chanted Murray’s 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 gives everything until the last point. I want to congratulate him for all he did for tennis.”

In the women’s draw, Serena Williams conceded only five points in the first set of a 6-0, 6-2 win over Tatjana Maria.