John McEnroe feels Andy Murray would still be in 2023 Australian Open if Thanasi Kokkinakis match was shorter

Updated 21/01/2023 at 19:43 GMT

Eurosport expert John McEnroe believes Andy Murray would still be in the Australian Open was it not for the circumstances of his match against Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round, which finished at just after 04:00 local time. Murray’s run in Melbourne came to an end on Saturday when he was beaten in four sets by Roberto Bautista Agut, but McEnroe thinks the result could have been different.

McEnroe feels Murray would still be in Australian Open if Kokkinakis match was shorter

Eurosport expert John McEnroe feels Andy Murray would have beaten Roberto Bautista Agut if his marathon match against Thanasi Kokkinakis was shorter.

Murray came from two sets and a break down to take an epic comeback victory against Kokkinakis that finished at just after 04:00 local time in Melbourne.

However, he was visibly beginning to struggle physically in the third and fourth sets against Bautista Agut as he was broken at key moments and went on to lose the match.

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“The sad part is that obviously the finish time of the previous match affected his performance in the third round and the door was open for him to make a run,” McEnroe told Eurosport.

“It seems like he's fit enough and the body is holding up well enough that, with a little bit of luck, he could have gone a lot further.

“Bautista Agut is a seasoned pro, he's a very good player. But obviously if the two of them play at their top level, Murray's going to win.”

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He added: “It's got to be extremely hard mentally for him to put in that much effort and sort of get thrown off because he played at four in the morning.

“Having said that, if he had beat Kokkinakis in straight sets, we wouldn't be discussing this and I believe the outcome of his match with Bautista Agut would have been different.

“That’s the way tennis works. It's harsh when you're out there on your own. So he's got to figure out a way to get himself in matches where he can finish guys off quicker.

“Both matches took its toll and that's a big ask for anyone at any age to be able to rebound consistently and go all the way or deep into a tournament.

“I think he certainly has the respect of everyone that's around the sport, the players. But he's got to figure out a way to tighten things up.”

Despite only reaching the third round, Murray’s win in Melbourne this week is widely seen as his best showing at a Grand Slam since having a second career-threatening hip surgery in 2019.

The three-time major winner discussed the possibility of retiring four years ago and McEnroe thinks the final part of Murray’s career is all about the Grand Slams.

“At this point in his career, that's what it's about,” he said. “It's not about doing well in other events. He wants to prove that he can go deep.

“This is a guy who's been in the finals of Grand Slams 11 times and numerous times gone deep in majors.”

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