Andy Murray talked a big game before the Australian Open, insisting he was ready to take on a top player in the opening stages of a grand slam, and then he lived up to his word. In a staggering five-set win over Matteo Berrettini and at the age of 35, Murray produced his best performance and physical display at this level in half a decade. The astonishing drama of his battle with Berrettini may have been staged over almost five hours, but this was a victory of perseverance built over a much longer time, created away from the spotlight where for so long there had only been frustration at the parts of his game that were not clicking together.
When Murray arrived at the Australian Open, more than 2,000 days had passed since his last win over a top-20 opponent at a grand slam, in what was a 2017 French Open quarter-final victory against Kei Nishikori. There had been several admirable efforts in the years since his hip resurfacing surgery, all typified by heart and character but accompanied by grimaces and hobbles, shuffled movement between points and pained expressions. It was, at times, uncomfortable to watch, and as the results struggled to follow it was fair to wonder if it was all worth it.
