by As Andy Murray continued his brutally hard path to greatness 14 years ago, he downed Marin Cilic to reach the final of the 2010 Australian Open. Although Murray was only 22 years old the back then, Cilic was still younger and less experienced. After making his debut in Croatia, Murray defeated his rival in the first of five Melbourne finals in seven years.
On Wednesday at the Kooyong Classic in the city’s suburbs, the two began their decades-long rivalry under less intense circumstances. Now 36 and 35 years old respectively, both players Grand slam champions, they are in the twilight of their careers and they are trying hard to hold on. While Murray continues to battle the odds after reversing his hip injuries, Cilic is making a comeback after undergoing knee surgery in January.
Related: Raducanu pulls out of pre-Australian Open charity match after being ‘hurt’
Their practice match in Kooyong, held at the handsome club that has previously hosted the Australian Open, ended in a 6-3, 7-5 victory for Cilic as his serve was much more consistent and clean, a relentless attack from bottom line of victory for him. Two poor service games from Murray, one in each set, proved the difference between the pair. Afterwards, Murray offered a nonchalant shrug to the result as their preparations continued.
“It was fine,” Murray said afterward. “I wasn’t that good at the start of the match but I got a bit better as it went on and I had a few chances in the second set. I didn’t get them but obviously it’s always good to get some games in and it’s always a bit different than playing practice serves.”
For Murray, the first few months of the season will be significant after 2023 ends. In his final match of the season, he dominated Alex de Minaur 5-2 in the third set at the Paris Masters, taking a match point on his part. serve before his lead crumbled to dust. Murray ended the season with five wins in his last six games and admitted he was not enjoying it.
To his credit, however, Murray responded immediately. It has been a tough season for the Scot as he manages the shoulder injury that forced him to end his season ahead of the Davis Cup, a knee injury and illness ahead of his training block in Dubai in December. Still, Murray was motivated enough to put in work every day. He was ever present at the National Tennis Centre, looking for ways to improve. He particularly identified his first serve as a weakness, and the stroke failed to offer him enough free points and easy second balls. Despite his physical limitations preventing him from training fully throughout the off-season, Murray worked hard to find solutions.
“If I put myself in those situations, it’s always been one of the best parts of my game,” Murray said of his struggles to close out games last year. “I’ve never had a problem with that in my career, and last year I felt like I wasn’t serving well, when it came to serving games, I wasn’t getting enough free points, ending in long rallies. Just not feeling comfortable on the court. So hopefully with some improved serves and feeling a little bit better about my game, when I put myself in those situations, it goes well.”
But the reality for Murray is clear. If he can make further progress with his game, he may be motivated to continue pushing himself to his limits. If his form from 2023 continues, however, there will be serious questions about his future and whether his career should last beyond this year. With the possibility of competing in one final Olympics on the horizon this year, 2024 presents a clear opportunity for the two-time gold medalist to end his career and finally move on. For the time being, he is still hopeful that will not be necessary.
“Hopefully I can do better than last year,” Murray said. “I didn’t feel like I played well last year. I’ve definitely lost some games that I could have won and I know I’ve made improvements in the offseason and I want to put that on the court because if I do that… I’ve been at pressure a lot of guys like De Minaur had close matches with Fritz, Tsitsipas… I didn’t feel good on the court last year so I hope for some improvements and feel a bit better, I can definitely challenge for the best players.”
Related: Stefanos Tsitsipas: ‘I still have plenty of time – I’m a late bloomer’
Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu continued to be very cautious as she recovers from an eight-month injury layoff as she pulled out of her exhibition match at the Kooyong Classic. Raducanu had to face teenager Mirra Andreeva in Kooyong on Thursday before she was withdrawn. The 21-year-old was also scheduled to face Naomi Osaka in a charity match at the Australian Open on Tuesday before both players opted to withdraw, with Raducanu citing illness on the morning of the scheduled match.
Jack Draper continued his positive start to the year as he survived a thrilling encounter with Miomir Kecmanovic in Adelaide, saving two match points to defeat Kechmanovic 5-7, 7-6 (11), 7-6 (7) and the to reach the quarter finals. finals.
