Murray’s goodbye
The first day of the Australian Open could see that last match played by the formidable Andy Murray. The Brit has recently announced his plans to retire from the sport due to a persistent hip injury, which was operated on 12 months ago. It is hoped that he will play his final match at Wimbledon, but that is far from certain.
“Not feeling good. Been struggling for a long time. I’m not sure I can play through the pain for another four or five months.” He said on Friday.
“Pretty much done everything that I could to try and get my hip feeling better and it hasn’t helped loads. I think there is a chance the Australian Open is my last tournament.”
In the wake of the announcement, tributes poured from both the men’s and women’s tour. He will take on 22nd seed Roberto Bautista Agut in his opening match in Melbourne. The Spaniard recently scored a win over Djokovic in Doha, but is under no illusion of the tough task he faces.
“Well, everybody knows Andy, everybody knows that when he goes onto the court he gives 100 percent,” Bautista Agut told reporters on Saturday.
“He’s going to fight as he did all his career, and tomorrow’s going to be the same.
“On the court I will be in a competition to win my match and of course I will try everything to get the win.
“I have to be ready for a difficult match in these conditions, and well, I’ll try to be very concentrate.”
Murray has a winning a 3-0 head-to-head record against Bautista Agut.
