ANDY MURRAY won’t give up.
With his metal hip and advancing years, the three-time Grand Slam champion may never return to the glorious highs of winning Wimbledon and the US Open.
Andy Murray advanced past Argentina’s Federico Delbonis in the Miami Open
He now faces world number two Daniil Medvedev in a mouthwatering second round clash
But the way he snarled, fist pumped and pushed himself to the max in what was ultimately a routine first round Miami Open win over Argentina’s Federico Delbonis showed the super Scot is still bang up for the fight.
His 7-6 (7/4), 6-1 triumph here at Hard Rock Stadium has set up an intriguing clash with world number two Daniil Medvedev who will once again test the Brit’s ability to string wins together since making a return to the tour after a second hip operation.
He has failed to back up first round wins in his last five tournaments and his match with Medvedev will be the first time in five years he has come up against a top two player.
It’s a tall order against the lanky Russian but Murray believes.
Of course he does.
The Scot said:”I am looking forward to taking him on. He’s a smart, intelligent player but let’s see how I get on. He’s a smart dude.
“He deserves to be at the top of the game and I have a long training block coming up so this will be a great test for me to see where my game is at.”
A brilliant forehand winner sealed the match in just over one and a half hours at Hard Rock Stadium with Murray, a two-time Miami Open champion, moving well while unleashing his usual array of attacking shots.
He added:”I am really happy to get through. The first set was very tight but I did well in the end.
“This is my first time playing here in this stadium. I used to have a place in Miami but maybe I will have to buy another one.”
Murray hopes to have former coach Ivan Lendl in his corner this weekend after the pair trained together this week in nearby Boca Raton.
Heather Watson also impressed with an excellent win over 15th seed Elina Svitolina – it’s the first time the 29 year-old has beaten a top 20 player since January 2020 – but it wasn’t a good day for Emma Raducanu, however, who had a face like thunder after slumping to yet another post US Open defeat.
The US Open champ, 19, has won just four matches from 12 since memorably scooping her first slam last September and the way she ran out of gas against Czech battler Katerina Siniakova was disappointing.
She groaned:”I thought she played really well but it sucks to lose that one. It’s a challenge for sure and it takes a lot out of you to keep bouncing back from it but what can I do about it now?”
