An Instant Classic

Wow what a match.  Five hours and forty-five minutes.  The second longest match ever in tennis and Andy Murray’s longest.  Ending at 4:05 AM local time in Melbourne Park.  This battle had everything you wanted to see in a tennis match.  Crucial aces, clinical returns, thrilling rally's, and massive momentum shifts.  An instant classic.

After defeating #13 in the world Matteo Berrettini in a thrilling 5-set match, Andy Murray reminds the world that although he may be old, he has not retired yet.  The 3-time major champion, having suffered years of repeated and debilitating ankle, hip, and knee injuries, should not be able to compete at Grand Slams where matches are 5 sets instead of 3 sets.  And yet somehow, the 35-year old Scot managed to outlast the 26- year old Italian, and subject of the new Netflix docuseries, Break Point, in a thrilling 4 hour & 49 minute match.  A momentous win in the opening round of the Australian Open.

A usual fan favorite, Murray, finds himself in an unfamiliar position in the second round.  Murray faces Australian native Thanasi Kokkinakis at Margaret Court Arena.  The Kangaroos hop on out of the Australian bush and file into their seats.  Murray now has three opponents to beat in the 2nd round.  Thanasi Kokkinakis, father time, and the boisterous crowd.  After playing for nearly 5 hours in the opening round, Murray already has to battle the uphill recovery battle due to his age and injury history.  How will he recover both physically and mentally to prepare for a match against all odds?

After going up two sets to love, Kokkinakis seemed destined to close out the match.  Murray, having lost the 2nd set in a 7-4 tie break, has to be mentally defeated.  After playing for nearly 5 hours in the opening round, clawing his way to victory, and after forcing a tie break is down 2-0 to Kokkinakis.  What else could he have done?

The 35-year old is broken on his first service of the third set.  Kokkinakis is up 2-0 and serving to go up 3-0.  If Murray drops this game, he almost certainly loses.  The crucial match goes to deuce, and finally advantage to Murray.  The most important point of the match transpires. 

Kokkinakis hits a brilliant fore-hander down the left line, forcing Murray to reach with all his length just to weakly put it back in play.  Kokkinakis attacks the layup return by hitting a powerful cross court shot.  Murray somehow manages to reach that attack too, but it’s another lob across the court, ripe for the picking.  At the net, Kokkinakis gets not one, but three attempts to slam away the point and even up the game.  Failing to do so each time thanks to the braveheart Scotsman.  Murray, on the third overhead slam attempt, is able to force Kokkinakis back to the baseline.  After a couple more rallies, Kokkinakis hits it into the net.  Murray breaks serve and is now serving to tie up the set.

The point of the match and year.  

But the drama for the third set didn't end there. Kokkinakis finds himself up 5-2 later on in the set.  All he needs is one service hold to win the game, set, and match.  A theme begins to develop.  With his back against the wall, Murray rips off four games in a row.  Forcing a tie break at 6-6.  Battling back to win the third set 7-6 in a 7-5 tie break! (scoring in tennis is tricky to understand)  Unbelievable resilience.  Tenacious.

All of a sudden, Murray is on the attack. With a 3-2 advantage in the fourth set, Murray breaks Kokkinakis to gain a 4-2 advantage.  The veteran holds his next two service games to win the fourth set 6-3.  All squared at 2-2.  A 35-year old physically broken player should not be able to claw back like this.  Surely, he has nothing left in the tank, especially after playing for 5 hours just two days prior.  Kokkinakis, the spry 26-year old, should be able to pull away.  

Hold, hold, hold, hold, hold, hold.  3-3 in the fifth set.  Kokkinakis serves and Andy wins the first three points.  Up 0-40 with three break points to break Kokkinakis.  Murray with the momentum looks destined to move on.  And the unthinkable happens.  

Kokkinakis miraculously makes it deuce, and goes on to hold serve.  Murray proceeds to slam his racquet against the court.  The mental giant, overcoming what we’re thought to be multiple career ending injuries is about to fold.  But you don’t beat Novak Djokovic in a grand slam final by letting your worst collapses define you.  You let them fuel your desire for greatness.  The added fuel needed to come out of a 5 hour & 45 minute marathon on top.

5-5 fifth set, Kokkinakis serving.  A hold here means returning for the match,  A break for Murray means Andy serves for the match.  A fitting ending to an all-time classic match.  Murray does the unthinkable.  The 35-year old in ankle weights doing his best Mary Lightly cosplay, from Psych, breaks the 26-year old.  Serving for the match, Murray caps off the never-ending night with a two-hand backhand winner down the line.  Andy tells the world that his time is not done.  Murray is alive and fighting for his chance to finally win the Australian Open.  Previously, Murray has lost five heartbreaking finals in Melbourne.  

It's nearly impossible to script a sporting event, let alone a tennis match with this many swings of momentum.  Kokkinakis had all the chances to possibly put Murray into retirement.  Instead, Murray goes marching on to the third round.  A not so friendly reminder to the Aussies in attendance where they came from.  Staying up until 4:05 AM to see the Union Jack fly over the Australian bush once more.