Andy Murray produced a stunning 5-hour-long, 5-set win in his first Grand Slam match in 20 months, then complained his toes were 'pretty beat up'
- Andy Murray produced a stunning comeback from two sets down in the first round of the US Open on Tuesday in what was his first Grand Slam match in 20 months.
- After the near five hour spectacle, the 33-year-old requested an emergency ice bath because he said his toes ached so much.
- "My toes are the worst part," he said after beating Yoshihito Nishioka, according to The Guardian, adding: "I'd say this was an emergency."
Andy Murray produced a stunning comeback from two sets down in the first round of the US Open on Tuesday in what was his first Grand Slam match in 20 months.
After the near five hour spectacle, the 33-year-old requested an emergency ice bath because he said his toes ached so much.
"My toes are the worst part," Murray told reporters following his turnaround win against Yoshihito Nishioka, according to The Guardian. "The big toes are pretty beat up."
He added: "My body hurts. I need to recover as best as possible. I need an ice bath now, but they stipulate you can only have one if it's an emergency. I'd say this was an emergency, so I'll go and see if I can have one here straight away, before I go back to the hotel."
Murray, who now plays with a metal hip following two hip resurfacing surgeries in 2018 and 2019, was 4-6, 4-6 down against Nishioka in just 99 minutes at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
However, the Scotsman then hung on to take the following two sets by tie break, before winning the third and final 6-4 to secure his place in the second round, where he will take on Felix Auger Aliassime on Thursday.
"Once I got two sets down, I had to put the after-burners on, and I managed to come through," Murray said. "I had to start striking the ball better. I was hitting it late and was a little bit tentative. Then I went and took too many chances and made too many errors. I didn't have the balance.
"I haven't played a five-set match for a long time. So the thing I'm most happy with now is that I lasted. It was a long match and I did pretty well physically.
"That was my biggest doubt going in, so the biggest answer I got from the match is that physically I am good."
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