British player Andy Murray got his 2019 campaign off to an impressive start as he won his opening encounter at the Brisbane International tennis with ease.
The three-time Grand Slam winner Murray displayed excellent temperament and fitness to roll over the Australian wildcard player, James Duckworth in straight sets in his opener. Murray needed just 90 minutes to defeat his Aussie counterpart 6-3, 6-4 to march into the second round of the competition.
Having won the Brisbane Open title twice in his career, Murray won his 10th match in a row at this competition but what will please him and his fans most is the manner of win after having returned to the sport following months of rehabilitation.
Murray was clinical in his approach, having last played competitive tennis in September last year, and showed he still had it in him to challenge the other Big Three for the title. He will now take on fourth seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev in his second round match.
The 31-year-old Murray had fallen to world number 256 after featuring in just six tournaments last year, last featured in a competition at the China Open. His hip problem had led him to opt for surgery which has taken him time to recover from.
But Murray thinks it was a decent start to his comeback as he looks to challenge some of the top players in the bigger tournaments.
He said:
“I was a bit nervous (before the match). But as the match went on I thought I moved well. It’s my first match after a big break. It’s not easy to sum up how difficult the process of return was.”
“It’s been really hard the last 18 months, been a lot of ups and downs trying to get back on court. Being back now I am trying to enjoy it as much as I can, for as long as I can because I am not sure how much longer I have got.”
In another match in the women’s draw, another British player Johanna Konta defeated Sloane Stephens in straight sets and will now take on Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in round two.
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