Andy Murray feels as though his comeback wins are long overdue after some close matches last year, but he admits the streak could end soon. Murray has looked fine in 2023 so far after reaching the third round of the Australian Open for the first time since 2017 before losing in the final of the Qatar Open last month.
He is now back in action to start the “Sunshine Double” at the BNP Paribas Open where he faced a tough opening match against Thomas Martin Echeverri. The Argentine took the first set when Murray tried to get to his feet in the match before embarking on another trademark comeback to win in three sets.
Murray’s match-going distance has become synonymous with his 2023 season so far as he has won all seven matches reaching the decider so far. He struggled with blows in his first two matches at the Australian Open, coming back from two sets down against both Matteo Berrettini and Thanasi Kokkinakis.
The three-time major champion came from behind twice at the Qatar Open on his way to the final, where he lost to Daniil Medvedev. Ideally, Murray would finish games before the decider, but he’s clearly happy to have won his fair share of matches when they’ve gone the full distance this year.
However, the former World No. 1 admits that his streak may end in the near future. He said “I’ve been talking to my team about it, just saying like the law of averages. This can’t go on.”
“Once I won one, I felt like I was going to start to feel more comfortable in those situations.
“I’ve worked hard in the off-season to put myself in a great position physically, and feel very motivated. Even when I fell behind in games, I kept fighting, I kept trying to find solutions.
“I’ve won some matches that for sure if I had played some of those last year I wouldn’t have won.” Murray will now face Pablo Carreno Busta in the next round in what will be the pair’s first meeting on the ATP Tour.
If Murray passes that test, he will face either Dan Evans or Jack Draper in the next round with the British duo playing tomorrow.
