17 January 2023 , 16:59
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Andy Murray drove mum Judy to drink in his dramatic five-set win over Matteo Berrettini in the first round of the Australian Open.
The three-time Grand Slam winner produced one of his best performances in recent years to overcome the 13th seed, who came from two sets down to level matters. In an agonising deciding set, the Italian had a match point at 5-4, but Murray survived.
After racing 6-1 ahead in the first-to-10 final-set tie-break, Murray eventually sealed victory after almost five hours with a forehand which clipped the net cord and left his opponent stranded. The 35-year-old will play Italian veteran Fabio Fognini or Australia's Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round on Thursday, and it seems his biggest supporter will be hoping for a more mundane affair.
Judy, 63, was in the Rod Laver Arena, and was sat close to Eurosport presenter Barbara Schett. And afterwards, the former pro player recounted her post-match encounter with Murray to fellow pundits Alize Lim and Mats Wilander.
"I spoke to Judy Murray who was sitting in the stands right behind Ivan Lendl and I," she explained. "I told her congratulations, well done, that must have been tough. Any more grey hairs on your head?
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"She said 'I went straight to the Champagne bar. Why is he doing this to me? I'm a nervous wreck!' So she had a few champagnes and felt better. She said 'Having two boys playing on tour for 18 years, this is taking a toll'."
Judy Murray has supported sons Andy and Jamie throughout their careers (GETTY)Her son's own relief was obvious after beating a top 20 player at a Grand Slam for the first time since his hip problems began in 2017. An emotional Murray initially screamed in celebration, before retiring into his chair with the look of a drained and exhausted man.
He said in his post-match interview: "I'll be feeling this this evening and tomorrow but right now I'm just unbelievably happy and very proud of myself. I've put a lot of work into the last three months with my team, to give me the opportunity to perform in stadiums like this and matches like this and it paid off tonight."
Brother Jamie Murray was considerably more blunt than Judy with his own post-match assessment. He tweeted "Andy F****** Murray" with a heart emoji, a post lauded by his 956,000 followers.
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