Andy Murray reacts to making his first ATP final since 2019

• Tennis News

Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray couldn't hide his happiness after reaching his first ATP final since 2019. Murray, ranked at No. 135 in the world, recovered from a set down to beat No. 4 seed Reilly Opelka 6-7 (6) 6-4 6-4 and reach the Sydney final.

After losing a tight first set, Murray claimed the first break of the match in the third game before serving out for a decider in the 10th game. Murray then broke Opelka in the ninth game of the third set, before serving out for the match in the following game to complete a comeback win.

“It’s already been a great week for me, big progress from anything I’ve done in the last year or so, to string four matches together like this and against top players in Basilashvili and Opelka,” Murray said, per the ATP website.

“I’ll go for 47 tomorrow. It’s been a good week, I’ve played better with each match, so hopefully I’ll step it up again tomorrow”.

Murray didn't expect a physically demanding match versus Opelka

Murray didn't spend much time on the court against Viktor Durasovic and David Goffin but he spent nearly three hours against Nikoloz Basilashvili.

Murray needed just less than two and a half hours to beat Opelka. “My first match [against Viktor Durasovic] was very quick, and if you play four or five matches like that, it doesn’t take so much out of you, whereas if you play a number of matches like I did against [Nikoloz] Basilashvili [which went to a gruelling three sets], then it can be counterproductive,” Murray said before the Opelka match.

“Obviously with today’s match being a short one and the first one being a short one and tomorrow I play against Opelka, which, you know, physically is not going to be demanding — well, it could be, but the nature of how he plays, you know, you’re going to get a lot of short points, a lot of quick points, I wouldn’t think physically that would take as much out of me either”. Murray will be battling Aslan Karatsev for the Sydney title.