By Richard Pagliaro| @Tennis_Now | Thursday, January 11, 2024
Andy Murray has prevailed as a wounded warrior on the Australian Open.
The ornery Murray has additionally created his justifiable share of self-inflicted wounds.
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Five-time Australian Open finalist Murray has typically opted to vent his frustration pounding his hand off his racquet face like a boxer working over the velocity bag.
These days, Murray goals to undertake a brand new perspective for the brand new 12 months.
Rather than beating himself up, the two-time Olympic gold-medal champion aspires to be kinder to himself.
Realistically, do not anticipate a mirthful Murray on the Happy Slam, however he hopes to be a extra constructive presence.
“No, I won’t be out there giggling on the court. That won’t be happening,” Murray instructed the media in Melbourne. “Yeah, it’s more about how you’re dealing with frustration and disappointment and everything when you’re playing.
“I do not see Novak on the market when he is enjoying his matches laughing and joking round. I by no means noticed that with Roger and Rafa. It’s not about that.
“It’s probably how you’re treating yourself in those moments and being a bit kinder to yourself, the people around you, lowering some of your own expectations, controlling what you can control.”
A 12 months in the past an impressed Murray performed Melbourne miracle maker. Murray outlasted Matteo Berrettini in a 4 hour and 49-minute thriller in his 2023 AO opener combating by means of to a 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(10-6) triumph for his first Top-20 win at a Slam since 2017.
Facing a dire two-set deficit in spherical two, Murray roared again to ship a comeback for the ages on Margaret Court Arena.
Showing fierce urge for food for the combat, Murray staged his second straight five-set stand conquering Australian Open doubles champion Thanasi Kokkinakis 4-6, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-3, 7-5 in an epic 5 hour, 45 minute victory.
Despite these heroics, Murray felt because the 2023 season progressed his frustration typically harm him in strain moments.
This 12 months Murray, who opens the 2024 AO marketing campaign in opposition to Thirtieth-seeded Tomas Martin Etcheverry, says he hopes to reset faster on courtroom after irritating factors.
“All of the players will sit in here and say exactly the same thing. It’s just not that easy to do it when you’re out there competing,” Murray mentioned. “That’s the hard part, yeah, just to focus on the next shot, the next point. It’s a very easy thing to say. We all know it. But doing it is difficult.
“Yeah, once I was youthful, I clearly all the time acquired annoyed on the courtroom, however I all the time felt like within the actually necessary moments, I used to be all the time competing very effectively. Last 12 months was getting annoyed, was not competing effectively within the necessary moments. That’s one thing that I hope to vary this 12 months.”
Photo credit score: Clive Brunskill/Getty
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