Former World No.1 Andy Murray could not feature in the Australian Open this year as he was suffering from COVID-19 and he was not allowed to take part in the Happy Slam. Therefore Murray decided to feature in the Biella Challenger in Italy.
The 33-year old lost in the finals of the event against Ukraine’s Illya Marchenko but he made a lot of progress in his build-up for the remainder of the 2021 season. While the Australian Open was in full flow, Murray made up his mind to unfollow players on social media to not follow footages of Melbourne to remain focused in Biella.
However, the five-time Australian Open runners up expected a tough fight between Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev in the finals of the Australian Open. Djokovic played some sublime tennis in the semis and the finals of the tournament and won the event for the third time in a row and ninth overall.
However, it was a dull affair in the final as Djokovic was reasonably comfortable against Daniil Medvedev. The Serb defeated the Russian in straight sets 7-5, 6-2, 6-2. While there was some fight in the first set, Djokovic simply cruised through in the last two sets to wrap up what was a sheer dominance in Melbourne at the finals.
The current World No.1 had his struggles through the tournament as he suffered from a muscle tear while playing against America’s Taylor Fritz in the third round. However he showed great courage and determination to win that match and then played some great tennis to defeat Alexander Zverev and Aslan Karatsev before reaching the finals.
While Murray did not follow any of the action that happened in the Australian Open, he was surprised to see Medvedev going down so easily against Novak Djokovic.
“I didn’t watch any Australian Open match because I wanted to be there myself. It was a struggle; I stopped following all the players I follow on social media and stuff because I didn’t want to see any Melbourne action.
“I expected the final to be closer, to be honest. I also know how good Novak is in Melbourne; he was highly motivated and really played well. Before the match, Medvedev spoke about the pressure on Novak’s shoulders. Still, those guys from the top have been dealing with immense pressure for their entire careers, and they know how to overcome it and play at their best when it matters the most,” the Briton said.
Lastly, the Scotsman also added how he felt that Dominic Thiem was lucky in securing the US Open last year. As he feels that if Djokovic was not suspended for hitting a lineswoman, the Serb would have bagged that tournament as well.
In my opinion, the younger players are not close to them. Dominic Thiem did steal the US Open crown, but if Novak hadn’t put a ball through the lines woman’s throat, I think the outcome would be the same,” Andy Murray added.
