'It's been hard': Andy Murray on verge of tears after win in Brisbane
Andy Murray has fought back tears in an emotional interview after his first round win at the Brisbane International.
The three-time grand slam champion showed no sign of rust in his return from an injury-hit 2018, downing Australian wildcard James Duckworth.
In his first event since September after a hip injury limited his season to just six tournaments, the former world No.1 overcame Duckworth 6-3 6-4 in less than 90 minutes.
The victory was clearly a relief to Murray after a horror 18 months.
“It’s been really hard. Eighteen months, a lot of ups and downs,” he said, fighting back tears.
“It was tricky just to get back on the court competing again.
“I’m happy I’m back out here competing again. I want to try enjoy it as much as I can.”
Fans took to social media to praise Murray for his emotional and raw interview, including former player James Blake.
Seeing @andy_murray visibly emotional after his 1st round win tonight is heartwarming to see. An athlete that realizes his athletic mortality and doing his best to enjoy it and clearly put in hard work to get there. Happy for him and wish him as much success as possible.
— James Blake (@JRBlake) January 1, 2019
Aww… @andy_murray! I love this. You’re an amazing person and I hope for an incredible season for you coming this 2019 🙏❤️✌️ https://t.co/75isG63u07
— MjSah94 (@MjSah94) January 1, 2019
Soooo emotional……so realistic 😢❤
— Nollie 🍀 (@yarrumydna) January 1, 2019
Love him so much. Such pure emotion and love for tennis.❤️
— michael epps (@michael_epps) January 1, 2019
Aww Andy, you were so emotional at the end, your fans have missed you, great to see you back! Good luck for R2💪🎾🇬🇧
— Brenda Parry (@BrenParry71) January 1, 2019
Thanks Andy Murray for winning in straight sets. Very emotional on court interview. Let’s treasure this wonderful sportsman while we have him back competing. There are no guarantees & he’s worked so hard to even get this point. #myhero @BrisbaneTennis
— Liz Curran (@lizcurran) January 1, 2019
GET IN THERE MUZZA @andy_murray great to see you back! 🎾🇬🇧🏴🏴🇬🇧🎾 Pretty emotional interview too, I guess none of us REALLY know what he's been through just to get to this point! Good luck fella & HNY! 👍👏👏👏
— Punter Rich (@FormbookR) January 1, 2019
Dual champion Murray extended his Brisbane record to 10-0, booking a second round clash with fourth-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev.
“I thought I did quite well. I think maybe both of us at the beginning of the match were a bit nervous, a few errors from the back of the court from both of us,” he said.
“But I think as the match went on, the rallies were a bit more entertaining.
“I think for the first match of the new year after quite a long break, it was alright.”
with AAP
