Andy Murray: What shape is he in after Australian Open win?
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Andy Murray came through a five-set, four hour 49-minute epic against 13th seed Matteo Berrettini in the first round of the Australian Open.
It was the 35-year-old’s first win over a top-20 player at a grand slam since his hip problems began in 2017.
Here we look at how his fitness has improved and the latest Andy Murray odds ahead of the second round.
Conditioning
The two-time Wimbledon champion, who underwent hip resurfacing surgery in 2019, admitted late last year he had allowed his famously stringent standards regarding his physical condition to slide.
The Scot had been suffering with cramping and was also unhappy with aspects of his game, but he addressed both during a period training with coaches Ivan Lendl and Mark Hilton and physio Phil Hayward in the United States during pre-season.
After nearly five epic hours @andy_murray has done it!@wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis • #AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/00FgZbPb5g
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 17, 2023
Regime
In a three-week boot camp in Florida, Murray practised every day as well as building his fitness.
He revealed: “I put a lot of work in on the court. I did a lot of cardio work on the bike and on the versaclimber. I was totally focused on my training and on my tennis, the things I needed to do to get better.
“It’s something that I’ll definitely look to do at times during the rest of this year to make sure I dedicate enough time to the hard work and improving my game.”
"Right now, I'm just unbelievably happy [and] proud of myself."@andy_murray • #AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/Kutoy1zAYw
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 17, 2023
Movement
The results are clear to see. Against Berrettini, Murray seemed to be moving better than at any time during the last four years, certainly as he took the first two sets.
And as the match wore on he was still zipping along the baseline, retrieving drop shots and at one point diving at the net for a volley, proving that the rigorous fitness programme is paying off. Not bad for a guy with a metal hip!
Stamina
Italian Berrettini was probably the better player over the final three sets but that is when Murray had to dig in.
Having come through five sets, including two tie-breaks (the second a first-to-10 match tie-break) Murray showed he can match the stamina of the top players.
Thanks to everyone for all the kind messages. We left it all out there. Hope you enjoyed the show. ❤️
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) January 17, 2023
His level dipped slightly in the third but at the end he was still able to race into a 5-0 lead in the deciding tie-break.
Motivation
Never in any doubt. Murray’s appetite for a battle is as strong as it was in his heyday and which saw him reach world number one in 2016.
He saved a match point against Berrettini and fed off the crowd with fist pumps galore as he rolled back the years in Melbourne.
It was for days like this that Murray went under the surgeon’s knife rather than admit defeat and retire.
What comes next?
It may be too soon to start dreaming of another grand slam title but Murray is now 50/1 in the men’s Australian Open winner odds, having been 100/1 before the draw was made.
In the second round, Murray faces Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis and has again been priced up as the underdog at 5/4.
While Murray was fighting his way past Berrettini under the roof on Rod Laver Arena, Kokkinakis was being frustrated by the vagaries of Melbourne weather.
Crazy Couple Days… Support was unreal 🤯🗣 @AustralianOpen pic.twitter.com/4crga69J6Q
— Thanasi Kokkinakis (@TKokkinakis) January 18, 2023
Extreme heat and storms caused delays on Tuesday and play was called off with Kokkinakis just five points away from victory over Fabio Fognini. He then had to wait around through more rain delays on Wednesday before finally finishing off a 6-1 6-2 6-2 victory.
Kokkinakis is ranked down at 159, but he has beaten six top-20 players in his career, including Roger Federer in Miami and Andrey Rublev last week in his home city of Adelaide.
His only previous meeting with Murray came in the Davis Cup in 2015, when the Australian won just six games in three sets.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
