Andy Murray claims dramatic Olympics comeback is ‘up there’ in career moments
Andy Murray has suggested that the Olympics doubles comeback with Dan Evans is one of his greatest, as the Brit pair prolonged the career of the former World No.1 after saving five match points.
Murray and Evans beat the Japanese duo of Kei Nishikori and Taro Daniel, 2-6 7-6(5) 11-9, but that only tells half of the story.
The British pairing had done well to even force a third set, after going a set and a break down before pulling things back level.
However the third set, which is played as a match tie-break to 10, appeared to be going back the way of Nishikori and Daniel after they led 9-4 and had five match points.
But, Murray and Evans did not back down and won seven consecutive points to continue their Olympic journey and effectively prolong the 37-year-old’s career.
Murray has been no stranger to comebacks over the years, and it appears that this one ranks towards the top for him, “It’s probably up there. In my career I’ve turned round a lot of matches that maybe I looked unlikely to win, or maybe people thought I shouldn’t have won.
“At times I’ve had that mental toughness, strength that at times certainly earlier in my career was questioned. I’m really proud of that side of things. I’ve come back from two sets to love down more than anyone in the sport before and I’ve also tried my best to fight and figure out ways to come through.”
The two-time Olympic gold medallist added, “I certainly couldn’t have done that on my own today. We’re out there as a team and Evo [Evans] certainly played a huge part in that. He’s shown that too, particularly when he’s played in Davis Cup and when he’s competed for his country before. He helped me big time today and I’m proud of that.”
37 years old
Metal hip
Recovering from spinal surgery
Playing his final tournament
Five match points down…Long live @andy_murray 👑 pic.twitter.com/A1GSjLyQvS
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) July 28, 2024
Murray confirmed ahead of the Paris Olympic Games that this would be the final tournament of his career, and that he would only be playing doubles after withdrawing from the singles event.
Despite this, the Scot admitted that it was not playing on his mind too much during the dramatic moments on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, “I didn’t really feel that bad going into the match. I felt fine today. I was a little bit nervous but I like that.”
He continued, “But then when the match started, I was not playing well, not feeling great, didn’t serve well and was just struggling a bit on the court, then yeah I was feeling like that. I was disappointed with the way I was playing and hoping that the level was going to pick up because in training in the last week, 10 days we’ve been playing pretty well and that wasn’t what happened today.
“Yeah I was feeling it a bit during the match but at the end, I wasn’t standing to serve thinking ‘Oh my God this is about to be over, what am I going to do?’. I was really clear about where I wanted to return and where I wanted to serve. I don’t know what Evo was feeling in that moment but he certainly played like that as well. He served to the right spots and hit some great shots.”
Murray will now have a days rest, before continuing his doubles campaign on Tuesday with Evans against either either Arthur Fils and Ugo Humbert or Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen.
Inside the baseline…
That doubles match was Andy Murray personified, and Dan Evans played a huge part in that too. It is so great that Murray has had another magical moment even in the final moments of his career, and who knows what that could spur the British pair onto now – considering that they are actually only two wins away from guaranteeing themselves a shot at an Olympic medal! There is still a long way to go yet though, with lots of other very competitive teams in the draw – let’s just hope that Murray just pulls up okay in terms of fitness.
Join >> Receive $700/£600 of tennis gear from the Tennishead CLUB
Social >> Facebook, Twitter & YouTube
Read >> World’s best tennis magazine
Shop >> Lowest price tennis gear from our trusted partner
