Andy Murray recalls beating Carlos Alcaraz "with a metal hip" after being reminded of Indian Wells 2021 win against Spaniard
Andy Murray reflected on his 2021 Indian Wells win against current world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, stressing that he did so with a 'metal hip', when he was reminded of one of his more monumental victories since coming back from multiple surgeries. Murray beat reigning Indian Wells champion Alcaraz 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 two years ago.
Murray and Alcaraz could face each other once again, with a third-round clash looming at the Miami Open later this week. Ahead of the same and in light of Alcaraz's incredible run of form, a fan fondly looked back on Murray's Indian Wells win, expressing pride in his achievement of beating the highly impressive Spaniard.
"I will forever be proud of the fact Andy Murray beat Carlos Alcaraz in Indian Wells that one time," a Twitter user wrote.
Reacting to the same, Murray reminded everyone that he beat Alcaraz with a metal hip in his body.
"With a metal hip," Andy Murray wrote in response.
@BarclayCard18 With a metal hip.
Alcaraz, who is the top seed at the 2023 Miami Open, will begin his campaign directly in the second round against either Felipe Meligeni Alves or Facundo Bagnis. If the Spaniard wins that match, he will have a potential clash with Murray on his hands in the third round. However, three-time Grand Slam champion Murray will need to beat Dusan Lajovic and Maxime Cressy in the first two rounds if he is to set up that mouthwatering clash against Alcaraz.
Alcaraz exacted revenge for the Indian Wells loss later that season, winning their Vienna Open fourth-round match 6-3, 6-4.
"Never a good sign for me if I wake up and I don't feel any of the butterflies" - Andy Murray on his pre-match nerves
Andy Murray recently revealed that he prefers feeling nervous on the day of the match as opposed to feeling relaxed, as that gets him going. Murray reflected on the same after his 2023 Indian Wells second-round win against Radu Albot last week, which was his first and only straight sets win of the season.
Murray said that he felt quite tense on the morning of the match and often considers it a good sign when he feels 'butterflies in his stomach' on a match-day morning.
"Usually I prefer to feel nerves, providing they are sort of, you know, in check," Murray said in a press conference.
"But nerves, I would way rather feel more tension than feel flat, which, you know, is really never a good sign for me if I wake up and I don't feel any of the butterflies or anything like that, it's generally a bad sign."
Murray will take to the court for his Miami Open campaign opener against Lajovic later on Wednesday. The 35-year-old could only reach the second round in Miami last year.