"2 legends" - Boris Becker and Juan Martin del Potro give positive reactions to Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka's heartfelt moment post French Open 1R
Stan Wawrinka advanced to the second round of the French Open 2024 after convincingly defeating Andy Murray on Sunday (May 26) in what was their 23rd encounter overall. Following the win, the Swiss shared a heartfelt moment with Murray, which received positive reactions from former tennis stars Boris Becker and Juan Martin del Potro.
The clash was the main event of the night session, where Wawrinka comfortably raced past Murray 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. Following the match, Murray and Wawrinka shared a heartfelt moment, as they were seen hugging each other at the net. Afterwards, both shared courteous remarks, highlighting their camaraderie.
Wawrinka later praised Andy Murray in a post-match interview. He recalled appreciating Murray's matches against elite players and acknowledged their long-standing rivalry of over 20 years.
"My first words to him were respect to a great champion. As a tennis fan I enjoyed watching Andy against the best players of all time. We had battles with the best players for nearly 20 years and we’re not all that young anymore, but we’re trying to make the best of what we have left," the former French Open champion said.
Six-time Grand Slam winner Boris Becker later highlighted the touching moment on social media and lauded both players as legends. He shared a glimpse of their embrace with the following caption on X:
"2 legends of tennis with lots of respect for each other!!!"
Moreover, former US Open champion, Juan Martin del Potro also gave a positive reaction to the long and warm embrace. The Argentine reacted to the video in the comments.
"Love this two," del Potro wrote.
Their previous meeting at the Roland Garros was in the semifinal of the 2017 edition, where Stan Wawrinka defeated the Brit in an intense five-setter.
"What Rafa or Novak achieved in the same time, it obviously is minuscule" - Andy Murray on his French Open achievements
After the first-round loss and the heartwarming embrace, Andy Murray attended the press conference. The Brit reflected on his French Open performances over the years and admitted that when compared to the accomplishments of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, his achievements seem minor.
He said:
"I did really well here over the years. You know, a lot of the results and stuff that I think the issue for me is that when you compare it to, like, what Rafa or Novak achieved in the same time, it obviously is minuscule in comparison."
He further added that he was proud of the overall result and felt no shame in losing to Wawrinka, Djokovic and Nadal numerous times.
He said:
"I lost to Novak in five, Stan in five, and twice to Rafa. Obviously no shame in that. In a different time maybe the results would have been a bit different. But yeah, I'm proud of the results that I had here. I had great memories."
Murray ruptured his ankle ligament while facing Tomas Machac in the third round of the Miami Open. He was then sidelined for a while and made a comeback as a wildcard at the Geneva Open.
The former French Open runner-up's lead-up to Roland Garros was far from ideal, with an early exit in the first round of the Geneva Open. It was followed by his first-round defeat in Paris on Sunday.