For a 35-year-old with a metallic hip, Andy Murray has spent fairly a little bit of time on courtroom this season: greater than 20 hours throughout his previous six matches, to be actual. Given his age and up to date damage struggles, it could be assumed that these marathon matches would favour his opponents. The actuality is the alternative, removed from the primary time the Briton has confirmed typical knowledge improper.

Murray has notched 5 ATP Tour victories this 12 months. Each one in all them was gained in a deciding set.

“The last couple of years I lost quite a lot of close matches, and it’s something I spoke to my team about last year,” Murray mentioned this week in Doha, the place he has gained three three-setters to advance to his 102nd tour-level semi-final. “I believe the work I did within the offseason on my recreation, bodily has given me a bit extra perception in these moments.

“I think when you’re in better shape, when you start to fatigue, it helps you make better decisions. If you’re struggling quite a bit physically towards the end of matches and in those important moments, it makes you maybe try and shorten the points, or play a different way, which doesn’t give you the best chance of wining. I feel like that improvement physically has helped in those moments.”

After a pair of marathon five-setters on the Australian Open, Murray has continued his penchant for long-running matches this week on the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha. The 35-year-old’s most up-to-date win got here on Thursday, a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 comeback in opposition to Alexandre Muller within the quarter-finals of the ATP 250. Clocking in at two hours and 4 minutes, that match wrapped up the blink of a watch in comparison with Murray’s different latest exploits.

“I’ve been playing a lot of tennis the last few days, and [doing that again] wasn’t going to give me the best chance to win the match, so I stepped up, started taking a few chances, tried to come to the net when I got the opportunity and managed to turn it around,” @andy_murray pic.twitter.com/9EVZA0NcP6

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) February 23, 2023

The former World No. 1 opened his Doha marketing campaign Monday by saving three match factors in one other come-from-behind effort, a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4) win in opposition to Lorenzo Sonego that required two hours, half-hour. On Wednesday, he was on the courtroom for greater than three hours in a 7-6(5), 2-6, 7-5 upset of Alexander Zverev. While he didn’t have to avoid wasting a match level in that second-round contest, he was twice two factors from defeat as he served to remain within the match at 4-5 within the third.

“Obviously I would like to win the matches quicker,” Murray mentioned after defeating the fourth-seeded German. His mom, Judy Murray, chimed in on Twitter earlier within the week: “A straight-sets win once in a while would be nice. 🎢” she wrote.

But so long as he is successful, neither will thoughts an excessive amount of. No doubt Murray is taking confidence from his means to again up one gruelling victory with one other, simply as he did on the Aussie Open final month.

The phrase “epic” is probably too freely thrown round to explain many tennis matches, however Murray’s two Melbourne wins outline the time period.

Facing thirteenth seed and returning AO semi-finalist Matteo Berrettini within the first spherical, Murray earned his first Top 20 victory at a Grand Slam in additional than 5 years with a 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(10-6) outcome. Match time: 4 hours, 49 minutes.

“I’ll be feeling this this night and tomorrow, however proper now I’m simply unbelievably completely satisfied, very happy with myself,” Murray mentioned after the moment traditional, wherein he saved a match level at 4-5 within the fifth earlier than clinching victory with a pleasant web twine within the decisive tie-break.

He flirted with the five-hour mark once more within the second spherical, staging an impressed comeback to knock off residence favorite Thanasi Kokkinakis 4-6, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-3, 7-5 after 4 hours, 45 minutes. In his document eleventh comeback from two units down, Murray withstood 102 winners, together with 37 aces, from the Aussie. Murray’s Melbourne run was finally ended by Roberto Bautista Agut, however not till one other three hours, 29 minutes of drama unfolded.

On Friday in Doha, Murray will search that elusive straight-sets win in opposition to AO quarter-finalist Jiri Lehecka. The good news for the Briton: on the very most, he solely has six extra units to play this week.