US Open: Andy Murray thrashed as John McEnroe questions comeback

A hobbling Andy Murray was thrashed by Felix Auger-Aliassime before John McEnroe asked, is his comeback really worth it?

Andy Murray physically struggled against Felix Auger-Aliassime at the US Open. Picture: Getty Images

Andy Murray was in the locker room at Flushing Meadows. Cheap plastic curtains surrounded the sort of pokey little bath that Sir could only use by standing under the shower nozzle. A bit rough, one would have thought, and far removed from the pristine and spacious comfort station that Sir would have visited while being knighted by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace for services to tennis, occasional hypochondria, long-term willpower and marathon five-setters.

Murray had just been given a fireman’s carry out of Flushing Meadows after beating Yoshi Nishioka. He’d played his running game, and his heart out, for as long as it would take him to complete a couple of New York marathons. The five-hour ordeal left the 33-year with the following ailments: his twice-repaired hip hurt, his lower back hurt, his hamstrings hurt, his right shoulder hurt, his right forearm hurt, his head hurt, his blackened toenails hurt like hell. He wanted an ice bath, revealing they were only allowed at the tournament venue under COVID stipulations in “emergency” situations.

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Murray said out of my way, this is an emergency, and dived in before embarking on the clearly impossible mission to beat the perky, upbeat, super-fit, lightning-fast, I-hit-the-ball-like-a-cannon 20-year-old Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime. It was such a guaranteed defeat that to gamble responsibly was to put the house, and kids, and grandma, and the mother-in-law, and any loose change under the lounge, on Auger-Aliassime at $1.50. Candy from a baby, given Murray was a complete physical wreck.

Andy Murray reacts to a lost point against Felix Auger-Aliassime. Picture: AFP

Auger-Aliassime, known as FAA, perhaps sweet FA when he gets to the Australian Open, blew away the labouring Murray 6-2 6-3 6-4. Sweet FA served bigger, clubbing 24 aces to two. His groundstrokes were bigger, hitting 52 winners to nine. Murray’s movement was poor. Out the door. He had no crowd to lift him. A stiff body. Shot legs. An oxygen mask was required more than a COVID one. If that’s as fit as Murray can be – he looked a physical wreck – he might decide his comeback isn’t worth it. A Wimbledon, US Open and Olympic champion being towelled up in round two … he might have too much pride for too much of this.

Sweet FA said: “It’s an amazing feeling. I wish the fans were here but it’s funny. Life is funny. I came here in 2011 as a kid. I got tickets for a match and I watched Andy Murray play (Feliciano) Lopez here in the third round. I was just watching and appreciating this temple of tennis. So it’s crazy that nine years later, I’m here playing him and getting the win.”

The only emergency for the 33-year-old Murray was the state of his career. No need for an ice bath because he had no more matches to play. He’d done a mighty job getting back on tour when his second hip surgery last year was thought to have spelled the end. After going five hours against Nishioka, he was never going to beat sweet FA. Never. He was never remotely in the hunt. Comebacks are stirring but they become sad if the gulf is too wide between a player’s prime and the present.

John McEnroe said in ESPN commentary: “It will be interesting to see where Murray goes from here. If he’s told by doctors his body could get better and he could get his movement back, then I would totally understand him wanting to continue playing. But if he’s going to be stuck at 80 per cent movement, that’s a different story altogether. That would make it tough, for a guy that good, to keep playing. That’s a big question. He can’t go out there and be like this. If this is the best he’s going to move, I don’t think he can keep playing.”