The legendary British tennis player Andy Murray and his partner Dan Evans saved five match points to win their opening Olympic men’s doubles match, postponing Murray’s career retirement.
The athlete previously announced that he will be retiring from professional tennis after the Paris Olympics. His legendary career appeared to be coming to an end, but he made a stunning comeback to help the British pair defeat Taro Daniel and Kei Nishikori of Japan with a performance record of 2-6 7-6 (7-5) 11-9.
With this, Murray declared: “The way we were playing to that stage would not have suggested we were likely to come back… Certainly from my side I felt I was not playing well. Evo played well at times, but for both of us we could play much better… It all clicked at the end.”
Murray and Evans appeared taken aback and barely knew how to respond when their opponent scored on the first match point. After falling behind 9–4 in the decisive tie-break, it appeared that they would lose, and Murray and Evans were as shocked as anyone by the comeback that followed.
Highlights of the match
As reported by BBC, this is how the pair achieved their impressive comeback, point by point.
5-9: Murray whacks a serve out wide which Daniel can’t reach.
6-9: A second serve from Murray is tamely clumped long by Nishikori, who bends to his knees in disgust.
7-9: Nishikori hits a double fault.
8-9: After a short baseline exchange, Nishikori slides forward and pats a tame forehand into the net.
9-9: Back on serve, Evans lands a first serve and sticks away a drive volley winner to level.
10-9: After the change of ends, an Evans serve is looped back by Nishikori and bounces just over the baseline with Evans scampering.
11-9 – GB win: Murray hits a forehand service return which Daniel reaches but sticks into the net.
Murray said after the match: “Obviously, at the end of the match, I was jumping around, and I was so happy – but as we were getting back, I felt pretty calm and played my best at the end.”
Murray and his legendary career
Murray, playing at his fifth Olympics, is at the last destination of his spectacular journey as he has won three Grand Slam titles and achieved the top of the world rankings.
Having won gold in both the Rio 2016 and London 2012 Olympics, he is the only tennis player to have won two consecutive titles in the singles competition.
It seems appropriate that he ends his career in Paris in 2024, but as Murray has long known, there is no “perfect ending” for a tennis player.
It will be the best possible experience to win another Olympic medal with Evans, currently 34 years old and competing in his first Olympic Games.
Source: BBC