Andy Murray

Andy Murray had to dug deep to beat Matteo Berrettini in the first round of the Australian Open as he claimed a win over a top 20 player in a Grand Slam for ...

[Australian Open](https://www.tennis365.com/category/australian-open/) He came back in the end and I was just lucky there in the end with a let court.” [News](https://www.tennis365.com/category/news/) The three-time Grand Slam winner, though, was not to be denied as he chipped a return on match point and Lady Luck smiled down on him. He added: “That’s the first time I have played one of those 10-point tie-breakers and it’s a bit different. However, the Italian played a poor shot and the chance disappeared.

Britain's Andy Murray won a five-set marathon over 13th seeded Italian Matteo Berrettini to advance to the 2nd Round of the 2023 Australian Open.

And what a performance this was, filled with the sort of grit that defined much of Murray’s time on tour, that carried him to championships at the U.S. 1, but the Scotsman is now 35 years old and ranked No. This was three-time major champion Murray’s first defeat of a top-20 opponent at a Grand Slam tournament since 2017.

Murray's determination never wavered, though, and he held his nerve in the deciding 10-point tiebreak, closing out the match with incredible fortune as his ...

A five-times runner-up in the tournament, little has come easy for Murray at Melbourne Park, and so it proved again as Berrettini emerged from a long off-court break between sets dialled-in to level the match. With the crowd largely in the palm of his hand, the 35-year-old Scot raced out of the blocks to take the first two sets under the roof of a muggy Rod Laver Arena. A vintage Andy Murray weathered a gallant fightback from Matteo Berrettini before dumping the 13th seeded Italian out of the Australian Open first round with an epic 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-7(7) 7-6 (10-6) win on Tuesday.

This was three-time major champion Andy Murray's first defeat of a top-20 opponent at a Grand Slam tournament since 2017.

This was the most-anticipated match of the afternoon session and lasted so long it finished in the evening, most definitely living up to the hype. It ended in a bit of anticlimactic fashion: Murray’s service return clipped the net cord and trickled over for a winner. It was difficult to imagine that the night session matches scheduled to follow in Laver — involving the No. He is also a five-time runner-up at Melbourne Park, with four losses in the final to Novak Djokovic and one to Roger Federer. This sort of evening was likely what he had in mind when he pressed on. Metal hip, bloody knee and all, Andy Murray produced his biggest victory in years.

Andy Murray won an epic five-set battle with No. 13 Matteo Berrettini on Tuesday in the opening round of the 2023 Australian Open.

He was serving unbelievable and he’s a brilliant competitor as well, one of the best competitors on the Tour. He came back really strong and I was just a bit lucky at the end with the net cord,” he added of his return on match point, which dribbled over the net. Murray added: “I think, at the end, some of the tennis was really good. “That’s the first time I’ve ever played one of those 10-point tie-breakers,” Murray said. “It’s a bit different. With Berrettini taking a 5-4 lead and with Murray serving to remain in the game, the Scot had to stave off a match point to hold serve and remain in the game.

When the draw for the 2023 Australian Open was made, among the many exciting opening fixtures, one stood out as particularly brutal. Unseeded Andy Murray ...

One result may not silence his critics entirely, especially considering he still has a tough field to get through if he wishes to go deep into the tournament. Murray’s tactics – working with Ivan Lendl again, his coach through each of his three Grand Slam titles – were spot on, and handed him a two-set lead. “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…

Andy Murray added another chapter to his remarkable career with a brilliant five-set victory over 13th seed Matteo Berrettini on Rod Laver Arena.

[Australian Open](https://www.tennis365.com/category/australian-open/) [News](https://www.tennis365.com/category/news/) Casper Ruud (NOR x2) bt Tomas Machac (CZE) 6-3, 7-6 (8/6), 6-7 (5/7), 6-3 Alexei Popyrin (AUS) bt Tseng Chun-hsin Tseng (TPE) 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/4), 6-1 Andy Murray (GBR) bt Matteo Berrettini (ITA x13) 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (7/9), 7-6 (10/6) Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP x14) bt Pedro Cachín (ARG) 7-6 (7/4), 6-1, 7-6 (7/3)

Murray needed four hours and 49 minutes to complete the landmark triumph, winning 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7(7), and 7-6(10-6) to earn his first Top 20 win at a ...

Despite Berrettini's improved ground coverage as the match wore on, Murray broke his serve in the first two sets. In the fourth set tie-break, Murray twice came perilously close to match point but was thwarted by some brilliant tennis from Berrettini. The 35-year-old made Berettini uncomfortable by attacking his weak backhand throughout the entire match and blunting his strong forehand with a combination of slice and force.

Andy Murray defeats Matteo Berrettini on Tuesday in Melbourne for his 50th Australian Open match win. © Clive Brunskill/Getty Images. ATP Staff Jan 17, 2023.

I was totally focused on my training and on my tennis, the things I needed to do to get better. The Scot acknowledged Lendl’s guidance as a key factor in his continued ability to perform, even if he isn't exactly sure on the secret ingredient the Czech brings. 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.” “Prioritise my sleep probably a bit more, the process of the recovery. “It's obviously not that easy to recover from a four-hour 45-minute match. [Ivan Lendl](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/ivan-lendl/l018/overview) resides. I'm really proud of how I fought through that match at the end, like I said, when it could have got away from me, how I played in the tie-break at the end. He's certainly not going to let me get away with not working hard. I've lost a few of those matches, those type of matches, in the Slams the last couple years, whether that's the Tsitsipas match [at the 2021 “There's certainly a lot of people [that] questioned me and my ability, whether I could still perform at the biggest events and the biggest matches. “I felt very proud of myself after the match. After a series of tough defeats in similarly close encounters at the majors in recent times, the three-time Grand Slam champion believes Tuesday’s victory is just reward for some hard off-season graft.

This was the three-time major champion's first defeat of a top-20 opponent at a Grand Slam tournament since 2017. That was before Murray thought he would ...

Make no mistake: He was far better in that decisive section of the match, jumping out to leads of 5-0 and 8-3. He arrived in Australia having lost in the first or second round in seven of his nine most recent Grand Slam appearances. "It just shows how much he loves the game, how much he loves these kind of matches." "I need to give myself some credit, because the last few years have been tough," Murray said. Later, a rainstorm came, creating another pause in the action, and several matches were halted in progress, with plans to resume on Wednesday. That's not something that I generally felt over the years at the end of tennis matches." The night session matches that followed in Rod Laver Arena couldn't possibly equal the intensity and drama. ["Break Point"](https://apnews.com/article/serena-williams-sports-tennis-roger-federer-nick-kyrgios-d9ccf65b25b7464d4c0097e7994eb84a)Netflix docuseries. There's certainly a lot of people (who) questioned me and my ability, whether I could still perform at the biggest events and the biggest matches," said the 35-year-old Murray, a former No. "I felt very proud of myself after the match. "And it paid off tonight." [Andy Murray](https://apnews.com/article/andy-murray-ap-top-news-sports-asia-tennis-sports-640d582a11584c54abfe665dbfc4f334)produced his biggest victory in years.

Andy Murray said he needed to give himself some credit for his five-set epic win against Matteo Berrettini at the Australian Open, saying: I felt very proud ...

That one could have gone the other way tonight, but I stayed strong and I deserved to win." "I think I'm proud of the work that I put in the last few months. I'm really proud of how I fought through that match at the end when it could have got away from me, how I played in the tie-break at the end. The physio that I was working with was Phil Hayward, who was there with me for the whole three weeks. That's not something that I generally felt over the years at the end of tennis matches" "I think he played definitely better. We just lived a pretty sort of basic life for those weeks spending two-and-a-half, three hours on the court, have lunch, then heading to the gym in the afternoon, or sometimes going back on the court again. That one could have gone the other way tonight, but I stayed strong and I deserved to win" "I felt very proud of myself after the match. He was moving way better, hitting the ball better... Murray said: "The last few years, I've certainly questioned myself at times. "I was impressed with myself, which again is not something...