sport news Andy Murray returns to Melbourne for first time since emotional retirement ...

sport news Andy Murray returns to Melbourne for first time since emotional retirement ...
sport news Andy Murray returns to Melbourne for first time since emotional retirement ...

Few men get to read their own obituaries. Andy Murray did.

His were written here in Melbourne three years ago, when it was believed he had played his last game of professional tennis. He was in tears even coming into the tournament, relaying in painful detail the agony his life had become.

Then he battled through four gruelling sets, across five hours, against No 22 seed Roberto Bautista Agut. At the end, Murray stood in the heart of Margaret Court Arena as his hosts played a series of video tributes from contemporaries, based on the assumption it was over. He would have got to see some of the newspaper and social media eulogies, too.

A tearful Andy Murray speaks ahead of the 2019 Australian Open where he unofficially retired

A tearful Andy Murray speaks ahead of the 2019 Australian Open where he unofficially retired

Darren Cahill, the coach who helped Andre Agassi become the oldest player to reach No 1, encapsulated Murray's uniqueness perfectly. 

'When you search for examples of 'emptied the bucket to be as good as they could be', there should be a picture of Andy Murray sitting there,' he explained. 'Remarkable discipline for training, competition, sacrifice and perfection. A little crazy but a legend of a bloke.'

Anyway, three years on, hello again. Nothing that was written about Murray that day was untrue, apart from the idea that a madman like him would take no for an answer, even from his body. So here we are, back in Melbourne, fresh from an appearance in the final of the Sydney International, his first since 2019.

Murray cried at the end of last week's run, too, but with delight this time, a joyous appreciation of a remarkable revival in the twilight of his career. 

Somehow, after ground-breaking hip surgery, he has remained competitive and a threat to young men ranked far higher, like Tuesday's opponent Nikoloz Basilashvili. Murray defeated the Georgian in round two in Sydney, now they are paired again.

It might not go his way a second time. Basilashvili is, after all, seeded 21. Yet, for Murray, it is already a victory being back here.

Murray played five matches in the Sydney International, losing to Aslan Karatsev in the final

Murray played five matches in the Sydney International, losing to Aslan Karatsev in the final

'I remember the match

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