Back on clay, Murray wins in Madrid

The moment the ball hit the net on match point, Andy Murray turned to his team and started celebrating profusely, jumping, pumping his fists and yelling. It was clear it meant more than just another first-round win. In his first match on clay in nearly two years, Murray defeated Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the second round of the Madrid Open on Monday. It was his first win on clay since 2017. “I put in lots and lots of work, you know, this last little period,” said Murray, who has battled injuries in recent years. “I wanted to go out and put on a good performance. I have had some doubts and stuff about my own game at times over this last period, but I do feel like I have started to play some better tennis.” Playing as a wild card, the former No. 1 and threetime Grand Slam winner broke Thiem once in each set and made only 13 unforced errors on center court. Murray, 34, hadn’t played on clay since the 2020 French Open. He won the Madrid title in 2008 and 2015. Thiem, the former No. 3-ranked player, has been recovering from a wrist injury that sidelined him for eight months.