"I thought I'd lost several years of my life from the anxiety of watching Andy Murray" - Tom Hiddleston
English actor Tom Hiddleston expressed his admiration for Andy Murray, recollecting the Brit's commendable performance at the 2023 Australian Open while playing with a metal hip.
Following a hard fought first round encounter with Matteo Berrettini which lasted more than four and a half hours, Murray squared off against Thanasi Kokkinakis at the Margaret Court Arena around midnight on January 19.
Despite an exhausting schedule and hip complications, Murray pulled off an epic comeback win against the Australian, 4-6, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-3, 7-5, which ended at 4:05 in the morning.
Reflecting on the famous win in an interview with BBC 5 Live Sport, Hiddleston stated that it was "absolutely gruelling" to watch the former World No. 1 play.
"I was watching the Australian Open earlier this year and Andy Murray, five sets. Four in the morning, a metal hip. And it was absolutely grueling and I thought I'd lost several years of my life from the anxiety of watching him," he said.
Hiddleston recollected Murray's interview after the match, where the Brit opened up about his competitive attitude to turn around "horrible" circumstances.
"But I love watching Andy. Jim Courier interviewed him afterwards and he said 'Andy, why do you put us through it? And he said, 'Well you know what? This is going to sound odd, but when it looks like I'm having a horrible time out there, that's when I'm having the best time. Those are the moments I love'," Hiddleston added.
At five hours and 45 minutes, it was Murray's longest match of his career. However, the Brit's campaign at the Melbourne Major came to an end following a third-round defeat to Roberto Bautista Agut.
Andy Murray confident ahead of Wimbledon 2023 despite Queen's Club Championships 1R exit
Despite his first round exit at the Queen's Club Championships, Andy Murray was optimistic ahead of Wimbledon 2023.
Murray suffered a straight sets defeat to seventh-seed Alex de Minaur in the opening match on Tuesday, June 20. However, the former Wimbledon champion remained confident about his general performance, emphasizing his title wins at the Nottingham Challenger and Surbiton Trophy.
"Obviously after today, you know, it’s easy to overreact. Well, no, I lost to a good player and it was obviously very comfortable but at the same time, over the last couple of weeks, yes, it’s obviously not the same level of opponents, but I won the tournament last week without dropping a set. I only lost one set in Surbiton," Murray said during the post-match press conference.
Andy Murray's win-loss record on grass this season stands at 10-1.