This is a period in his career to enjoy, because it will not be for ever to try his best and then just see where it takes him. Most of all, he still has the privilege and ability to work on his personal goals every day, while competing in front of crowds of 15,000 people. Murray coolly brushed aside questions about retirement from Australian reporters during the Kooyong exhibition event last week, asserting that it wasn’t even on his mind.Īt the start of a new season, Murray is healthy, hopeful, training well and still one of the best players in the world. The recent retirements of Roger Federer and Serena Williams have ensured that many will be looking to see which all-time great is next. However, he is extremely difficult to play against, with huge weapons, considerable mental strength and a tendency to play his best tennis in grand slam tournaments. Berrettini is still searching for rhythm himself, after undergoing hand surgery last year, contracting Covid on the eve of Wimbledon and pulling out of the final months of 2022 because of a foot injury. Whether Murray’s optimism will yield a positive result on Tuesday remains to be seen. ![]() “It’s the first time in a while where I’ve had six, seven weeks of work uninterrupted by anything, so I feel like I was able to make some improvements in the off-season and feel a bit more comfortable with my game.” Andy Murray exits 2022 US Open in third round defeat to Matteo Berrettini - ESPN Full Results > Erste Bank Open Vienna, Austria ESPN Tennis Home US Open Scores Schedule Rankings Players Grand. “There was some stuff in my game I was struggling with for large parts of last year, so obviously I worked on that a lot in the off-season,” he said. Now he feels he is moving as well as he has done since his hip surgery. Afterwards, Murray expressed dissatisfaction at his training and preparation. He had finished the year with perhaps one of his worst performances over the past four years, losing to Gilles Simon in the Frenchman’s final tournament, after serving for an easy win. The source of Murray’s confidence rests in a solid off-season. During the US hard-court swing, Murray struggled badly with cramp in every warm-up tournament. For example, Murray’s grass-court season had started with a brilliant run to the final in Stuttgart but he sustained an abdominal injury during the third set of his match with Berrettini, which halted his momentum heading to Wimbledon. Andy Murray saves match point to beat Matteo Berrettini in five-set thriller. This Australian Open marks one of the few times in recent years that Murray has arrived at a grand slam tournament without any physical issue nestled in the back of his mind. It was nine-time champion Djokovic's first Australian Open match for two years after he was deported last year. I feel well prepared, I feel ready to play a top player early in the event, whereas maybe last year at times my game didn’t feel that great.” “But I also feel like I’m in a much better place than where I was during any of the slams last year coming into it. He will face Matteo Berrettini, last year’s semi-finalist and the 2021 runner-up at Wimbledon, in the first round.ĭespite the difficult draw, Murray betrayed no frustration in his pre-tournament press conference. ![]() "This court is the most special court in my life.On the eve of the Australian Open, his unseeded status handed him one of the toughest possible draws at the tournament. "I am happy to be back in Australia where I had the biggest success in my career. "Thank you for giving me such a welcoming and reception I could only dream of," Djokovic said. There was one moment of a slight scare with Djokovic's hamstring (Nine Network)Īnd when Djokovic broke Carballes Baena in the seventh game of the second set it broke the Spaniard's resolve.ĭjokovic took the second set and then raced through the third with confidence to round out a resounding return to Melbourne Park, which saw him thank the crowd for their support afterwards. The willingness to do so seemed to indicate the hamstring Djokovic injured in Adelaide might be ok after all. ![]() The Spaniard took it to Djokovic, who looked proppy on the left leg after chasing a drop shot early in the second set but he brushed it off as the two traded heavy and long groundstroke rallies. Those handful of games were absurd tennis from Djokovic before Carballes Baena and he took the opening set before Carballes Baena found his best tennis in the second set. That was considered a no-no as the Serb did not have permission but he got back before time was called and continued on his way, breaking Carballes Baena that very game on a run of 11 straight points. ![]() It was Carballes Baena who had the first big chance in the opening set, but with Djokovic down 0-40 at 2-all, the Spaniard could do little as Djokovic reeled off five straight points before telling the umpire he was leaving for the bathroom.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |