The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_X_on_2023.svgbt_X_over_2023.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_X_on_2023.svgbt_X_over_2023.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    Busan eyes Expo 2035 after losing to Riyadh

  • 3

    Cargo ship submerged off Korea's southwestern coast; no crewmen found

  • 5

    Netflix's 'Sweet Home 2' gets full upgrade: director

  • 7

    BTS wins 2023 MAMA Award for Worldwide Icon of the Year

  • 9

    Birthrate might fall below 0.7 in Q4

  • 11

    4.0 magnitude quake hits southeastern city of Gyeongju

  • 13

    Remaining BTS members to begin military service next month

  • 15

    Busan citizens disappointed but ready for World Expo 2035 bid

  • 17

    Dog meat traders up in arms over gov't plan to end dog meat consumption

  • 19

    Supreme Court upholds ruling in favor of Korean American singer over visa issuance

  • 2

    December brings mix of action, thriller, romance to small screen

  • 4

    US, S. Korea cast doubt over NK's satellite photos

  • 6

    Seoul to introduce 'English tutor robots' for young students

  • 8

    NewJeans wins Artist of the Year at 2023 MAMA Awards

  • 10

    Saudi Expo win puts Korean firms in line for contracts

  • 12

    SPECIAL REPORTKorea should embrace cultural diversity in integrating immigrants

  • 14

    INTERVIEWASTRO members aim to shine in musical theater

  • 16

    Chanel, Hermes, Nike rectify customer policies after FTC warning

  • 18

    Debate heats up on earthquake emergency alert system

  • 20

    Samsung Electronics appoints younger figures in personnel reshuffle

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
Fri, December 1, 2023 | 19:21
Andy Murray tops Berrettini in 5-set epic at Australian Open
Posted : 2023-01-17 21:32
Updated : 2023-01-17 21:32
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
Andy Murray plays a forehand return to Matteo Berrettini during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday. AP-Yonhap
Andy Murray plays a forehand return to Matteo Berrettini during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday. AP-Yonhap

Metal hip, bloody knee and all, Andy Murray produced his biggest victory in years.

Murray built a huge lead, let it disappear completely, then needed to save a match point against Matteo Berrettini ― who is nearly a full decade younger and ranked more than 50 places higher ― before managing to pull out a 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (10-6) triumph across more than 4 1/2 epic hours on Tuesday in the Australian Open's first round.

''The last few years, I've certainly questioned myself at times. 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. 1 now ranked No. 66. ''I felt very proud of myself after the match. That's not something that I generally felt over the years at the end of tennis matches."

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 need to retire ― and even was given a career send-off at Melbourne Park in 2019, when he exited in the first round a year after his first hip operation.

After a second surgery inserted an artificial hip, Murray decided to try to continue playing. This sort of evening was likely what he had in mind when he pressed on ― and when he spent three weeks in Boca Raton, Florida, practicing under the tutelage of coach Ivan Lendl during the offseason.

''I've put a lot of work into the last few months with my team to give me the opportunity to perform on stadiums like this, in matches like this, against players like Matteo," Murray told a crowd that roared with approval for him. ''And it paid off tonight."

Oh, yes, what a performance it 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. Open in 2012 and at Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016 and to two Olympic singles gold medals.

Murray is also a five-time runner-up at Melbourne Park, with four losses in the final to Novak Djokovic and one to Roger Federer.

''He's a great champion. I said it so many times," said Berrettini, an Italian who is one of the players chronicled in the new ''Break Point" Netflix docuseries. ''Personally, was great to play with that atmosphere against him. Just a great match. Unfortunately it didn't go my way."

There were moments Tuesday when Murray played as he did a long time ago, diving to hit a volley before slamming to the blue court ― scraping his right leg ― or sprinting to somehow reach seemingly unreachable shots, then looking up into the stands at Lendl and shaking a fist while yelling, ''Let's go! Come on now!"

Murray raced through the first two sets in less than 1 1/2 hours before the big-hitting, big-serving Berrettini turned things around and took the match to a fifth, even coming within one point of victory at 5-4 in that set but faltering and flubbing an easy backhand.

By beating the 13th-seeded Berrettini, who was the runner-up at Wimbledon in 2021, Murray became only the fifth man in the Open era with 50 match wins at the Australian Open, joining Djokovic, Federer, Rafael Nadal and Stefan Edberg.

They played under a closed roof at Rod Laver Arena because of temperatures that soared up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) and caused suspensions of play that lasted hours in matches on smaller courts that can't be covered. Later, a rainstorm came, creating another pause in the action.

This was the most-anticipated match of the afternoon session and lasted so long it finished after 7 p.m. local time, most definitely living up to the hype.

''Some of the tennis at the end was really good," Murray said. ''It felt like that playing; I don't know what it looked like."

Looked terrific, Andy.

It was difficult to imagine that the night session matches scheduled to follow in Laver could possibly equal the intensity and drama. First came a 7-6 (8), 4-6, 6-1 win for the No. 2-seeded woman, Ons Jabeur, over Tamara Zidansek, followed by nine-time champion Djokovic's return to the Australian Open after he was deported from the country a year ago for not being vaccinated against COVID-19.

Murray and Berrettini concluded with the first-to-10-points, win-by-2 tiebreaker formula that all Grand Slam events adopted for the fifth sets of men's matches and third sets of women's. Murray said it was his first experience with that relatively new format.

Make no mistake: He was far better in that decisive section of the match, jumping out to leads of 5-0 and 8-3. It ended in a bit of anticlimactic fashion: Murray's service return clipped the net cord and trickled over for a winner.

''Just a bit lucky at the end," said Murray, who next will meet Thanasi Kokkinakis or Fabio Fognini.

Murray has wondered aloud whether all of the work he put in to get back to a level of play that satisfied him was worth it.

''I need to give myself some credit, because the last few years have been tough," Murray said. ''I've lost a few of those matches, those type of matches, in the Slams the last couple years."

He arrived in Australia having lost in the first or second round in seven of his nine most recent Grand Slam appearances. The other two ended in the third round.

For now, this one continues.

''It's impressive what he could do after so many surgeries, after all the kilometers that he ran in his career. It's impressive," Berrettini said. ''It just shows how much he loves the game, how much he loves these kind of matches." (AP)




 
wooribank
LG group
Top 10 Stories
1Dog meat traders up in arms over gov't plan to end dog meat consumption Dog meat traders up in arms over gov't plan to end dog meat consumption
2Debate heats up on earthquake emergency alert system Debate heats up on earthquake emergency alert system
3Death of Jogye Order heavyweight Ven. Jaseung shocks Buddhist world Death of Jogye Order heavyweight Ven. Jaseung shocks Buddhist world
4Experts forecast greater difficulties in inter-Korean relations if Trump reelected Experts forecast greater difficulties in inter-Korean relations if Trump reelected
5Hyundai E&C to change Daejeon skyline with new high-rise apartment complex Hyundai E&C to change Daejeon skyline with new high-rise apartment complex
6Tving and Wavve begin merger talks Tving and Wavve begin merger talks
7KT cuts executives by 20%, hires external figure to spur digital innovation KT cuts executives by 20%, hires external figure to spur digital innovation
8Will Hanwha Q Cells desert Korean market? Will Hanwha Q Cells desert Korean market?
9Yoon reinstates policy chief post to strengthen grip on state affairs Yoon reinstates policy chief post to strengthen grip on state affairs
10Korea's exports to bounce back in 2024 on rising demand for advanced chips, batteries Korea's exports to bounce back in 2024 on rising demand for advanced chips, batteries
Top 5 Entertainment News
1[INTERVIEW] ASTRO members aim to shine in musical theaterINTERVIEWASTRO members aim to shine in musical theater
2'Our Season' director, veteran actor discuss creating relatable mother-daughter story 'Our Season' director, veteran actor discuss creating relatable mother-daughter story
3[INTERVIEW] Hip-hop group Uptown returns after 13 years with new lineup INTERVIEWHip-hop group Uptown returns after 13 years with new lineup
4ONE PACT debuts hoping to leave big impact on K-pop scene ONE PACT debuts hoping to leave big impact on K-pop scene
5December brings mix of action, thriller, romance to small screen December brings mix of action, thriller, romance to small screen
DARKROOM
  • It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

    It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

  • 2023 Thanksgiving parade in NYC

    2023 Thanksgiving parade in NYC

  • Appreciation of autumn colors

    Appreciation of autumn colors

  • Our children deserve better

    Our children deserve better

  • Israel-Gaza conflict erupts into war

    Israel-Gaza conflict erupts into war

  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel: 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844
Date of registration: 2020.02.05
Masthead: The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group