Serving time: Andy Murray looks to break shackles at Australian Open

As Andy Murray continued on his arduous, brutal path towards greatness 14 years ago, he stared down Marin Cilic for a place in the 2010 Australian Open final. While Murray was just 22 years old then, Cilic was even younger and less experienced. After a nerveless start from the Croat, Murray methodically reeled his challenger in to reach his first of five Melbourne finals in seven years.

On Wednesday at the Kooyong Classic in the suburbs of the city, the pair resumed their decades-long rivalry under less intense circumstances. Now 36 and 35 years old respectively, both players grand slam champions, they are in the twilight of their careers and desperately trying to hold on. As Murray continues to fight against the odds following his career-altering hip injuries, Cilic is returning after undergoing knee surgery in January.

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Their practice match in Kooyong, held in the handsome club that previously hosted the Australian Open, ended with a 6-3, 7-5 victory for Cilic as his far more consistent serving and clean, unrelenting aggression from the baseline awarded him the victory. Two poor service games from Murray, one in each set, proved the difference between the pair. Afterwards, Murray offered a nonchalant shrug to the result as their preparations continued.

“It was all right,” said Murray afterwards. “I didn’t serve that well at the beginning of the match but got a bit better as it went on and had a few chances and the second set. Didn’t get them but obviously it’s always good to get some matches in and it’s always a little bit different than playing practice sets.”

For Murray, the first few months of the season will be significant after his dire end to 2023. In his final match of the season, he led Alex de Minaur 5-2 in the third set at the Paris Masters, reaching match point on his serve before his lead crumbled to dust. Murray finished the season having suffered five defeats in his final six matches and he admitted that he was not enjoying himself.

To his credit, though, Murray immediately responded. This has been a hard off-season for the Scot as he managed the shoulder injury that forced him to end his season before the Davis Cup, a knee injury and illness before his December training block in Dubai. Still, Murray was motivated enough to put in work each day. He was ever-present at the National Tennis Centre, searching for ways to improve. He particularly identified his first serve as a weakness, with the stroke failing to offer him sufficient free points and easy second balls. Despite his physical limitations stopping him from training at full intensity throughout the off-season, Murray worked hard to find solutions.

“If I put myself in those situations, it’s always been one of the better parts of my game,” said Murray of his difficulties to close out matches last year. “I never had an issue with that in my career, and last year, I felt like because I was not serving well, when it came serving for matches, I was not getting many free points, ending up in long rallies. Just not feeling comfortable on the court. So hopefully with some improved serving and feeling a bit better about my game, when I put myself in those situations, it goes well.”

But the reality for Murray is clear. If he can make further progress with his game, he may remain motivated to continue pushing himself to his limits. If his form from 2023 continues, though, there will be serious questions about his future and whether his career should endure beyond this year. With the possibility of competing in one final Olympics on the horizon this year, 2024 offers the two-time gold medalist a clear opportunity to end his career and finally move on. For the time being, he remains hopeful that this will not be necessary.

“I hope that I do better than last year,” said Murray. “I didn’t feel like actually I played well last year. I certainly lost a number of matches that I could have won and I know that I’ve made improvements in the offseason and I want to put that on the match court because if I do that ... I was pushing a lot of guys like De Minaur, had close matches with Fritz, Tsitsipas... I really didn’t feel good on the court at all last year so hopefully with a few improvements and feeling a bit better, I can certainly challenge the top players.”

Dan Evans was beaten in the last 16 of the Adelaide International as Alexander Bublik came from behind to defeat the British No 2.

After starting well to claim the first set, Evans was then broken to go 4-2 down in the second and he would secure only one of the games that followed as Kazakhstan's Bublik surged to a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 win.

Evans, returning to action at this tournament after his 2023 campaign was ended prematurely by a calf injury, had beaten Australian Rinky Hijikata in straight sets in the previous round. The 33-year-old will be unseeded at a grand slam for the first time since 2019 at the Australian Open, with the draw taking place in Melbourne on Thursday.

British No 4 Jack Draper is through to the quarter-finals of the tournament after saving two match points in a comeback win over Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic.

Draper will face American Tommy Paul in the last eight after bouncing back from going a set down to earn a marathon 5-7, 7-6 (9), 7-6 (7) victory in three hours and 39 minutes.

Jack Draper continued his positive start to the year as he survived an excruciating encounter with Miomir Kecmanovic in Adelaide, saving two match points to defeat Kechmanovic 5-7, 7-6 (11), 7-6 (7) and reach the quarter-finals.