A lot has changed for Andy Murray since he last played Roberto Bautista Agut at the Australian Open – and a lot has stayed the same.
Four years ago, Murray lost to Spain in the first round in what many thought would be his last match.
He has since acquired a metal hip, but as he battled to a five-set victory against Thanasi Kokkinakis earlier on Thursday, it was clear that he was desperate to win. There is no change.
The 35-year-old, who also needed five sets to beat Matteo Berrettini in the first round, finished playing at 04:00 Melbourne time and returned to Melbourne Park eight hours later to begin preparations for his third round.
Now ranked 66th in the world, Murray will face 24th seed Bautista Agat for a place in the fourth round of the Australian Open, with few daring to predict a comeback in 2019.
While Murray has spent a total of 10 hours and 34 minutes on court in the first two rounds, fourth seed Novak Djokovic has been out for five hours and six minutes.
Djokovic, seeking a 10th Australian Open title, continues his bid against Grigor Dimitrov but has been hampered by a hamstring injury in Melbourne.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion could benefit from the start of the men’s draw in the opening round, with top two seeds Rafael Nadal and Casper Rudd already out.
Great Britain’s Dan Evans will also be in action on Day 6, taking on fifth seed Andre Robleau in the third round.
In the women’s draw, fourth seed Caroline Garcia of France takes on Germany’s Laura Sigmund, while 21-year-old American qualifier Katie Valentes will look to keep her run alive against China’s 23rd seed Zhang Shuai.
Can Murray’s ‘big heart’ get him through one more?
When Murray lost to Bautista Agut in 2019, he paid an emotional tribute and said: “If this was my last match, it was an amazing way to finish.”
After undergoing hip surgery for the first time in 2018, she underwent a second operation shortly after the 2019 Australian Open and made her singles return later that year.
On Saturday, Murray has a chance to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time since reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2017.
He and Bautista have met twice since August 2019 – both times in 2022 – and the Spaniard won both meetings in straight sets.
It remains to be seen how he will bounce back from two physically demanding matches and one with a very late finish. He will play against Bautista Agut once again in the night session.
After the second-round win over Kokinacs, Murray said he “feels better physically” on the court than he did in the first round.
He wasn’t sure how he managed the nearly six-hour bout, but reminded fans what had helped him grind through the years since his hip problems began, saying: ” I have a big heart.”
