For much of this most challenging period of Andy Murray’s career, as he has faced trials that would not have been encountered with younger legs and a more functional hip, he has continually explained what still drives him each day. He is adamant that there is something left for him in his sport, even if he is not exactly sure how far he can go. He believes the evidence is there, laid out in his numerous strong performances against top players over the past year.
A decade on from his maiden grand slam win on these grounds he pieced together another strong result. Murray played a clean, disciplined match, neutralising the No 24 seed, Francisco Cerúndolo, and his nuclear forehand in the suffocating New York humidity to reach the second round of the US Open with a 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 win. The victory marks Murray’s first straight-sets grand slam win since Wimbledon 2017, when he was ranked No 1.
