As a five-time runner-up at the Australian Open, there have been many times in his career that Andy Murray has left Melbourne a broken man, mentally. But though his body will need a little time to recover from the effort of an incredible week, as he heads home this time, his mind will be telling him that his level is as good as it has been for years.
His 6-1, 6-7 (7), 6-3, 6-4 defeat by Roberto Bautista Agut was another remarkable performance, his body crying in pain at the beginning but loosening up as the match went on to the point where somehow, it seemed as if he might pull off another miracle.
That it didn’t happen was down not to will-power or his level of play, quite simply the fact that Bautista Agut was good enough to beat him on an evening when his lack of recovery time left him way too short.
