‘I’m not a robot’: Andy Murray laughs his way through win over Matteo Berrettini in Miami
The 36-year-old secured a battling victory in Miami while faking a laugh after several points
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Your support makes all the difference.Andy Murray has admitted that he can be “a bit strange” on court after appearing to feign laughter during a battling win over Matteo Berrettini at the Miami Open.
The Scot prevailed in a hard-fought contest 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, benefitting from his opponent struggling from dizzy spells on his return to action.
Berrettini was playing his first match since last year’s US Open and began strongly in Florida, but Murray battled back to secure just a fourth win of the year.
The 36-year-old poked fun at those writing him off by scrawling “life in the old dog yet” on a camera lens post-match, before addressing his peculiar antics on court.
“You were saying I need to be happier on the court in the interview beforehand – so if I’m laughing, that’s not OK, if I’m shouting, that’s not OK, if I’m flat like I was in Australia, that’s not OK,” Murray told his former doubles partner Laura Robson on Sky Sports. “It’s very hard for me to get the balance right.
“I’m very different on the tennis court. I’m not a robot. I’m a bit odd, a bit strange. But I play better when I’m like that.”
Murray is a two-time winner at the Miami Open and will next face Tomas Martin Etcheverry, who beat him in the first round of the Australian Open in January.
The Scot is yet to win consecutive matches on tour this year but hopes that a victory over the 2021 Wimbledon finalist sets him up for more success.
“It was obviously a great win for me,” said Murray. “I started off a little bit slow, but I do think I played pretty well from the middle of the first set until the end of the match.
“I created a lot of opportunities and he was struggling for a little bit at the end of the second and beginning of the third.
“I capitalised on that and got off to a quick start in the third. I served it out well in the end.”
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