Against Matteo Berrettini in the third round, former world No. 1 Andy Murray narrowly missed a chance to come back from two sets down. It’s something he’s done 10 times before on tour.
Of course, this Andy Murray is now 35 years old and running side-to-side with an artificial hip. What was a tall order six years ago is a now a monumental task.
Murray’s career is defined by some remarkable achievements. He was the first British man since Fred Perry in 1936 to win a major. Murray captured the 2012 US Open in five sets over Novak Djokovic, one of the classic modern US Open finals. He then won his home major, Wimbledon, in 2013 and 2016. Murray also owns two Olympic gold medals in singles (London 2012 and Rio 2016).
But his professional career is also defined by a willingness to fight, scrape and claw to the bitter end. As he demonstrated Friday afternoon against Berrettini, that mentality hasn't changed—even if his body has.
“I'm now around 40-ish in the world and still going hard," Murray said in a post-match press conference on Friday. "I want to push and see how far I can go. I'm really proud of that effort that I put into, you know, to get myself back into these positions. So I'm hoping that in the future, I can go further.”
While Serena Williams may be ready to leave the game, Murray is not. The Scot has no plans to retire at the moment, despite the physical challenges, a ranking that forces him to play top-seeded players in early rounds and the responsibilities of being an attentive father to four children.
A sure sign he's not going anywhere: Murray even coaxed Ivan Llendl back into his coaching box.
Though he expressed optimism in his press conference, Murray also remained realistic about his path forward. “I've got a metal hip. It's not easy playing with that. It's really difficult,” he said. “I'm surprised I'm still able to compete with guys that are right up at the top of the game.”
The 2012 US Open winner added: “It's still as hard, still as disappointing. In some ways, you know, you can maybe deal with it slightly better. In other ways, because you know you probably don't have that many more opportunities playing in these tournaments, it's a shame.”
But Murray derives deep satisfaction in what he’s accomplished since all the physical setbacks.
“Lots of people told me I wouldn't be able to play again,” he said. “Lots of people told me I'd be able to hit tennis balls, but not compete professionally again. That was nonsense."
The goal remains the same: "I want to see how close I can get back to the top of the game.”
