It has been a difficult season for the 36-year-old Andy Murray who plans to retire at the end of the year, but his victory over Matteo Berrettini on Wednesday at the Miami Open showed the tennis world he might have something left in the tank. The win was just the fourth of the season for the three-time Grand Slam champion in 11 matches. He posted consecutive victories for the first time this season when he followed up with a win in the second round over Tomas Etcheverry on Saturday.
Despite this being a significant win for Murray at this stage of his career, he kept his celebration respectful and reserved following the two hour and 48-minute match. Berrettini was treated for dizziness nearing the end of the second set, and the British number four showed his concern as the two shook hands post game.
It is customary for the winner to write on the camera following a win post game, but Murray had an interesting message this time around. He wrote, “life in the old dog yet,” playing fun at his old age and diminished skills at this point in his career, but also letting his fans know that he isn’t completely finished as a contender. Murray ranks as the Britsh number four 62nd in the world and continues to be his own biggest critic on the court. He was often seen laughing out of frustration after unforced errors on Wednesday, and he told reporters postgame, “If I’m laughing that’s not OK. If I’m shouting, it’s not OK. If I’m flat like I was in Australia, that’s not OK.”
Berrettini was the better player for the first hour of the match, winning the first set 4-6, but Murray refused to roll over and improved significantly in the second set. Berrettini had been serving extremely well, but Murray finally got his first break point, giving him a 4-2 lead in set two. Now trailing 5-2, Berrettini was preparing to serve when he became visibly unbalanced, stumbling and almost falling on the court before catching himself with his racket. He continued to play after a brief medical visit on the court and left for additional treatment at the conclusion of the second set. Unfortunately, the Italian was never able to return to his first set form, dropping the final set as well losing 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
The 27-year-old Berrettini has been plagued with injuries over the past two years and has fallen outside of the top 100, but he is far from an easy victory as the former world number six and 2021 Wimbledon runner up. This was his first match on the ATP Tour this season, reaching the final of a Challenger event the week prior. He had last met Murray in the 2023 Australian Open, where Murray came out on top winning 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (10-6) in 4 1/2 hours, also in the first round of that tournament.
Murray is a two-time Miami Open champion, and he now joins Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal as the only active players to win 30 matches at the event. The former number one will be tasked with defeating the world number 29 Tomas Etcheverry to keep his three-time champion hopes alive in Miami. If you are looking to start betting on tennis events like the Miami open, we recommend looking over the top 10 betting sites the sport has to offer. You can bet on individual matches, tournament winners, final four finishers, or more specific wagers like total games played in a match. Betting opportunities are endless, and you can wager on all ATP events and major tournaments this season.
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