Andy Murray put in a 'phenomenal effort' against Roberto Bautista Agut says Tim Henman after Australian Open exit
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Published 21/01/2023 at 13:48 GMT
The doughty and impressively resilient Roberto Bautista Agut was the "worst possible opponent" for Andy Murray given everything the Brit had already been through at the 2023 Australian Open, Eurosport expert Mats Wilander said. Murray ran out of steam and was steadily worn down by the Spaniard, but Tim Henman lauded what was another incredible display of character in defeat.
Henman applauds Murray's 'phenomenal effort' in his defeat to Bautista Agut
Andy Murray put in another "phenomenal effort" as he lost to Roberto Bautista Agut in their third-round clash at the Australian Open, according to Tim Henman.
The 35-year-old came up just short despite more impressive battling as he lost 1-6 7-6(7) 3-6 4-6 against the dogged Spaniard on Margaret Court Arena while having the noisy crowd very much on his side.
Murray, who had already come through two five-set marathons against home favourite Thanasi Kokkinakis and Matteo Berrettini in rounds one and two, struggled to maintain his physical level as his relentless opponent eventually pulled away in the third and fourth sets.
"It was a phenomenal effort," Henman said on Eurosport's Australian Open coverage.
"When he lost the first set 6-1, there were a lot of people pretty concerned that Bautista Agut was going to run away with things.
"But Andy showed that resilience, that fighting spirit to get that second set, and once he was level you thought, 'wow is there another miracle in store?'
"Bautista Agut is so experienced. He has played a lot of tennis in Grand Slams and he did not panic.
"He obviously had the extra fitness and was feeling a lot more fresh, and that was the important thing in the third and the fourth sets."
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Wilander and Henman react to Bautista Agut beating Murray at Australian Open
Wilander added: "When you get to one-set all and you’re Andy Murray, the worst possible opponent would be Roberto Bautista Agut.
"Anyone else who has a huge serve or who doesn’t return well, but here you have got to win every single point, and Roberto doesn’t get annoyed by the crowd.
"You see that in the handshake there is a lot of respect too, but at the same time, Bautista Agut probably felt the crowd was with Andy.
"Andy needed the crowd, so they should be with Andy in a way, and Andy should use them too."
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Bautista Agut downs Murray as Brit's epic run ends - Australian Open highlights
Henman also played down what could have been seen as a somewhat frosty handshake between the two at the end of the match as he said the players were "two class acts".
"Yeah the handshake they had four years ago was very different, but as Mats pointed out, Bautista Agut is a competitor out there, he is in this cauldron, and you could see how much it meant to him.
"You are not always going to have that positive energy between players, but I think that interview with Bautista Agut afterwards showed so much class.
"It is in his second language, but he summed it up perfectly. He said there is a lot of love for Andy, but hopefully next time there will be a bit more for him.
"Two class acts, and Bautista Agut deserves his victory."
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Britain's Andy Murray reacts as he plays against Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut during their men's singles match on day six of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 21, 2023
Image credit: Getty Images
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