Watch: Andy Murray lets out his emotions with mighty roar after sealing comeback win against Thanasi Kokkinakis in Australian Open marathon
Former World No. 1 Andy Murray turned the clock back on Thursday, staging a dramatic win over Australia's Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open. Murray celebrated his comeback win with a thunderous roar amidst the constant clapping of fans lauding the veteran's unbelievable performance.
The three-time Grand Slam winner rallied to beat 2022 Australian Open doubles champion Kokkinakis in a five-set thriller, overturning a two-set deficit. In what was the longest match of his career, Murray showed his opponent the exit door in just under six hours. After a marathon match of five hours and 45 minutes, the score read 4-6, 6-7, (4) 7-6 (5) 6-3, 7-5 in favor of the Brit.
Serving for the match in the fifth set, Murray hit a double-handed backhand to seal his victory, following which the Glasgow-born player shook hands with the Australian and the chair umpire before drowning himself in his much-deserved celebrations. The two-time Wimbledon winner erupted in joy as he let out all his pent-up emotions with thunderous roar of pure delight to celebrate his intense win.
The official Twitter profile of the Australian Open posted a video of the same:
Have you ever seen anything like that?
@wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis • #AusOpen • #AO2023 https://t.co/PSIXFMIFcl
Andy Murray reflects on his incredible 2R win, reveals there was "frustration" and "tension"
In his post-match press conference, Andy Murray, tired as he was, reflected on his marathon win over the Australian. Revealing how there was a mix of emotions from frustration to excitement, the Brit was glad to secure the win at the end of the day. He further revealed details of his immediate plans for the rest of the day, stating that he just wanted to sleep.
"Well, I mean, yeah, the match was obviously very up and down. There was frustration in there. There was tension. There was excitement, all of that stuff. Then at the end, yeah, I mean, look, it's obviously amazing to win the match, but I also want to go to bed now. It's great, great. But I want to sleep," he added.
The 35-year-old played Matteo Berrettini in the first round of the Melbourne Major. In under five hours, the veteran stunned the Italian by beating him, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(6).
Andy Murray further commented on the match and reflected on the conditions, saying that due to the cold weather, the rallies are getting longer. He also said that he felt better than he did during his first-round win over the Italian.
"Yeah, I mean, it was. I mean, by far the longest match that I played. The conditions, that's what's going to happen. You play in cold conditions, at that time of the day, with balls like that, you're going to get long rallies, long points. Yeah, I mean, I actually felt better on the court today physically than I did the other day, which is a positive thing. But, yeah, finishing at 4 isn't ideal," Andy Murray said.