Andy Murray’s greatness overshadowed only by the Big-3 says John McEnroe who praises the Briton after his historic match at the Australian Open
John McEnroe is very excited for Andy Murray as he wins his second-round match against Thanasi Kokkinakis at Australian Open 2023.
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John McEnroe on match between Andy Murray and Thanasi Kokkinakis
The first Grand Slam of the season is truly defining the standard of tennis sport for this year. As the top seeds and crowd-favorites are struggling to make it to stay afloat in the tournament, wildcard entrants are taking this competition by storm. Only two rounds of the event have concluded and major upsets have been witnessed.
Amongst all this glare and upheaval, a legend is trying to build his own reputation and make his worth of the title as one amongst the ‘The Big Four’. Andy Murray at the age of 35, beat young generation players Matteo Berrettini and Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first and second rounds of the Australian Open 2023.
The match against the Australian, in particular, has earned the British many fans around the world. He defeated World No.159 in a five-set thriller 6-4, 7(7)-6(4), 7(7)-6(5), 6-3, 7-5 that ended after 4 AM the next morning. But what was special was that Andy Murray lost the first two sets but came back strongly to win against Thanasi Kokkinakis.
John McEnroe, in particular, is impressed with Andy Murray’s fighting spirit. He in a recent interview, saluted the former World No.1.
“I would say to Andy Murray that you make our sport shine. The never give up, never say die mottos that you hear, the clichés, you would send them his way right now because this is about the love of the sport more than anything else. His desire to compete, to go out and just give what he’s got,” he reported to have said.
He also believes that the current World No.66 has proved his mettle in this match. He also hailed him as one of the greatest players of this era, besides Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. However, he is also concerned whether, after such a grueling match, the British player would be able to recover in time for the third round match.
“This guy is one of the great players of our era that is not talked about because of what the other three top guys [Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic] have accomplished, but he’s a legendary player and I think that these type of matches cement his reputation even though the likelihood of recovery is not high. I would hope he can enjoy the moment and hope that he can rebound to some extent,” he continued.
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Can Andy Murray win another match in this competition?
Andy Murray has proved time and again that age is just a number. He has been on tour since 2005. The Former World No.1 is also playing in his 15th Australian Open tournament of his career. He reached the finals of this competition five times in his career. However, he has not won it a single time.
After undergoing numerous surgeries and missing out on many tournaments throughout his career, the three-time Grand Slam champion gave everything to win his match against Thanasi Kokkinakis. Watching all his efforts, made the seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe very proud. However, he also raised his concern that players have to toil hard at such hours of the day.
“For starters, it was insane that matches at that level are played at that time in the morning. Murray, we knew he had a heart of a champion, that goes without saying, but that’s him digging deeper than I’ve ever seen him, with everything he’s been through. It makes me personally, as an ex-player, proud to look at these tennis players – Andy, in particular. Kokkinakis, you feel for him, but it’s one of those moments where you feel proud of your sport and you see guys giving 110% for five-and-a-half hours,” he added further.
In the next round, Andy Murray will have to face current World No. 26 Roberto Bautista Agut. Even the Spanish player is coming to the third round after winning a five-set thriller against Bandon Holt. Hence, the recovery of both the players is the key issue here and will affect the outcome of the match.
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Abhar Indorkar
(451 Articles Published)