"Watching Andy Murray compete could be my fav tennis thing" - Ajla Tomljanovic reacts to Murray's thrilling win in Indian Wells 2023 opener
Ajla Tomljanovic is in awe of Andy Murray as the Briton tennis great continues to display his grit and emerge on the winning side of thrillers this season. As Murray won another long three-setter in his 2023 Indian Wells opener against Tomas Etcheverry on Thursday, Tomljanovic stated that watching Murray compete is probably her favorite sight in tennis.
Murray successfully mounted another comeback, beating Etcheverry after dropping the first set to win 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-4 after more than three hours and 10 minutes on the court. All seven of his wins so far this season have come in deciding sets.
While Murray thrilled fans everywhere with another impressive victory, Tomljanovic also expressed her admiration for the Briton great.
"Watching Andy Murray compete could be my fav tennis thing to watch," Tomljanovic wrote on Twitter during Murray's match.
Watching Andy Murray compete could be my fav tennis thing to watch
Tomljanovic herself is missing out on competing at Indian Wells and is yet to play a match this season. Earlier this year, she revealed problems with a lingering knee injury as she withdrew from her home Grand Slam tournament, the Australian Open.
Meanwhile, Murray will now face Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta in the Round of 64, with a Round of 16 clash against top seed Carlos Alcaraz also on the cards. The World No. 55 will not drop points at Indian Wells this year, having already matched his 2022 result, and will now aim to gain more points and enter the Top-50 ahead of the Miami Open.
"I don't think it is a coincidence, but last year I lost a lot of them" - Andy Murray on his record in deciding sets in 2023
After pulling off another memorable win, Andy Murray reflected on his seventh consecutive deciding set triumph in 2023. The 35-year-old suggested that he was always bound to find success in such key moments in matches after having lost many deciding sets last season. He now feels more confident each time he is presented with such a challenge.
Having said that, he did not foresee winning as many as seven deciding sets in a row, and admitted that he would lose one such match going forward.
"I don't think it is a coincidence, but last year I lost a lot of them," Andy Murray said after the Indian Wells opener, as per ATP Tour. "I was talking to my team about it, just saying like the law of averages... this can't keep going."
"Once I won one I did feel like I would start to feel more comfortable in those situations. Thankfully that's been the case. Obviously winning all seven, I'm aware that at some stage I'm going to lose one of them," he added.
Murray is set to face Carreno Busta for the first time ever when they take to the court on Sunday, also giving the Briton player enough time to recover from a three-hour contest against Etcheverry.