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Andy Murray's time at the Australian Open has more than likely ended once and for all, with the injury-plagued star showing plenty of guts in a five-set first-round loss to Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut.
Key points:
- Despite hip injury, Andy Murray comes from two sets down to take Roberto Bautista Agut to five sets
- But Spanish 22nd seed comes good in the fifth to deny emotional Murray
- Murray says it would take something special to come back from a required hip operation to play in Melbourne again
Murray said in a tearful press conference prior to the tournament that this could be his last-ever Australian Open after failing to shake a chronic hip injury, and he did not look in tip-top condition in a battling 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 6-2 loss to the Spanish 22nd seed.
Given time to say a few words courtside following his defeat, Murray came close to confirming this would be his last-ever Australian Open, saying it would take a miraculous physical recovery to return to Melbourne Park.
"I don't know, maybe I'll see you again. I'll do everything possible to try," Murray said.
"If I want to go again, I'll need a big operation which is no guarantee to come back from, but I'll give it my best shot.
"I've loved playing here over the years, it's an amazing place to play tennis," he added.
"Tonight I gave everything I had, it wasn't enough tonight. Congratulations to Roberto and his team.
"I don't really have anything else to say, but just thanks again, thanks to everyone, my family who are here supporting me."
Organisers then played a video package of Murray's contemporaries — including Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Caroline Wozniacki — praising the Scot's career and impact on the game.
"I've been fortunate in many ways, and unlucky in many ways, with the guys I've been around," an emotional Murray said afterwards.
"I have a lot of respect for them, we've had some incredible matches, great matches that tennis fans around the world will remember when we all finish."
Things looked promising early on as both players traded blows, holding serve to four games apiece in the first set, before Bautista Agut broke the Scot's serve.
From there, despite flashes of the form that saw Murray win three major titles, Bautista Agut proved too strong, showing no hesitation in making Murray cover lots of ground in thrilling rallies.
Murray showed fantastic resolve to break in the third set, nailing four consecutive points to turn the Spaniard's serve on himself, before consolidating with a clean service game to lead 3-2 on serve.
Bautista Agut looked to have clawed his way back into that set, only for Murray to unleash two blistering baseline shots to clinch his service game and put the pressure on his opponent.
Murray had the chance to sneak a set point by breaking serve at 5-4, but Bautista Agut hung tough, only for Murray to battle back and clinch the third set in a tie breaker.
Neither player could be separated on serve in the fourth set. Again it went to a tie-break, and again Murray proved clinical in the decider, easing to a 7-3 margin to take the game to a fifth set.
But that looked to be all the gas Murray had in the tank, as Bautista Agut decisively broke the Scot twice in the final set to advance to the next round.
Federer, Wozniacki advance
For once overshadowed elsewhere, Federer advanced to the second round with a regulation straight-sets win over Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin.
Federer triumphed 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, setting up a clash with British qualifier and world number 189 Dan Evans.
Istomin has twice reached the fourth round of a grand slam, and proved to be a worthy combatant from the back-of-the-court, equipped by a heavy, aggressive baseline game.
But the Swiss' mountainous serve proved too big an obstacle for his opponent to climb, which meant the title contender was rarely challenged on his own service games.
Meanwhile, defending women's champion Wozniacki cruised into the second round with a straight-forward 6-3, 6-4 win over Belgium's Alison van Uytvanck.
The third-seeded Dane broke van Uytvanck once in each set and kept her unforced errors down to win the baseline battle in an hour and 33 minutes in the first match of the evening session at Rod Laver Arena.
The 24-year-old Van Uytvanck, ranked 52, troubled Wozniacki with some well-disguised drop shots but did not have enough to register her maiden win at Melbourne Park in her fifth appearance in both singles and doubles.
Wozniacki, who is battling rheumatoid arthritis, sealed the match with a forehand winner on her third match point and will next meet Sweden's Johanna Larsson, who progressed after Vera Lapko of Belarus retired while trailing 7-6 (7-5), 3-0.
ABC/Reuters
Topics: australian-open, tennis, sport, melbourne-3000, vic, australia
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