John McEnroe hails ‘legendary’ Andy Murray after 'insane' win over Thanasi Kokkinakis at Australian Open

Updated 19/01/2023 at 20:04 GMT

Andy Murray overcame Thanasi Kokkinakis in an epic five-set match at the Australian Open that lasted five hours and 45 minutes. The contest finished after 4am in Melbourne and John McEnroe was in awe of the performance from the "legendary" Murray. McEnroe said it was an "insane" contest and former world No. 1 Murray puts a "smile on everybody's face".

'You make our sport shine!' - McEnroe hails Murray after epic win over Kokkinakis

John McEnroe lauded Andy Murray for “one of the most insane” comebacks he has ever seen and says the former world No. 1 makes the “sport shine”.

Murray, 35 roared back from two sets down to beat Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second-longest match in Australian Open history.

The five-set epic clocked in at five hours and 45 minutes, finishing at beyond 4am in Melbourne.

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Murray said his “big heart” helped carry him through to the third round for the first time since 2017.

“For starters, it was insane that matches at that level are played at that time in the morning,” said Eurosport expert and former world No. 1 McEnroe.

“Murray, we knew he had a heart of a champion, that goes without saying, but that's him digging deeper than I've ever seen him, with everything he's been through.

"It makes me personally, as an ex-player, proud to look at these tennis players – Andy, in particular. Kokkinakis, you feel for him, but it's one of those moments where you feel proud of your sport and you see guys giving 110% for five-and-a-half hours.”

Murray v Kokkinakis - Australian Open highlights

Murray will hope to recover to face 24th seed Roberto Bautista Agut in the next round on Saturday.

However, there are question marks after such a late finish, along with the fact Murray has undergone two hip surgeries in recent years and played a long five-set match against Matteo Berrettini in the first round.

McEnroe added: "While on the one hand it is historic, you also worry about the consequences down the road. There's recovery; when could you even possibly think about going to sleep? How do you even look at the next opponent?

“Those are things for tomorrow and you hope that in some way there could be some type of level of recovery but just enjoy the moment - you put a smile on everybody's face. It was one of the most insane things I've seen in all my years watching tennis.”

Murray’s career looked as though it might have been nearly over after he lost to Bautista Agut in five sets at the Australian Open in 2019.

But he has battled back and with coach Ivan Lendl back on the team for a third time has continued to show signs of improvement.

This was another step forward for a player who McEnroe describes as “legendary”.

'Stunned disbelief!': McEnroe in shock of how late Murray v Kokkinakis game went on for

“I would say to Andy Murray that you make our sport shine. The never give up, never say die mottos that you hear, the clichés, you would send them his way right now because this is about the love of the sport more than anything else.

“His desire to compete, to go out and just give what he's got.

“This guy is one of the great players of our era that is not talked about because of what the other three top guys [Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic] have accomplished, but he's a legendary player and I think that these type of matches cement his reputation even though the likelihood of recovery is not high.

“I would hope he can enjoy the moment and hope that he can rebound to some extent."

Bautista Agut also needed five sets in the second round to beat American Brandon Holt.

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Stream the 2023 Australian Open live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.co.uk.

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