Andy Murray out of Australian Open: Briton talks retirement after defeat by Roberto Bautista Agut
Reaction from the first-round match at the Australian Open in Melbourne
Andy Murray’s Australian Open is over after losing a thriller to Roberto Bautista Agut in what could be the final match of his career.
Murray is contemplating retirement due to the persistent hip injury that has blighted him for more than two years, with the three-time Grand Slam champion admitting last week that he will retire in 2019, hopefully after one last outing at Wimbledon in the summer.
But such is the pain that he is fighting, Murray could now choose to call it quits now that his Australian Open campaign has come to an end.
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What time does it start?
Murray vs Bautista Agut is due to begin not before 7am, and more likely to be around an 8am start once Kyle Edmund’s match against Tomas Berdych has completed.
Where can I watch it?
The match will be shown live on Eurosport.
Odds
Andy Murray to win: 4/1
Roberto Bautista Agut to win: 1/5
The video has brought Murray close to tears as he's given a standing ovation from those inside the arena.
Andy Murray:
I've been very fortunate in many ways and lucky to compete against some of the guys who've been around. Roger, Rafa, Novak, those guys have been brilliant.Â
To have the respect of your peers is the most important thing, so that was nice to see.
Paul Newman was inside the Hisense Arena to watch today's emotional rollercoaster unfold, in which he remembered exactly why the Briton's eventual retirement will be such a loss for the sport.
The perhaps most surprising aspect of what Murray had to say post-match was that this may not be the end.
He now faces a difficult decision on whether to spend the next five months trying to get into a position to compete at Wimbledon, but after that he has not ruled out the possibility of undergoing major surgery on his hip. Murray revealed that he is likely to undergo a hip resurfacing operation just to improve his standard of living, but it could also put him in a condition to mount a remarkable comeback somewhere down the line.
Here's what he had to say:Â
That's all from a crazy day one at the Australian Open, where it could well be the end of Andy Murray.
He bows out of the first Grand Slam of the year with his head held high, and if it is to be the end, it is no disservice that he took the match the distance before succumbing to Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut.
We now wait with bated breath for Wimbledon to come around to see if Murray will give it one last go, but for now we can cherish what may have been an incredibly resilient display that caps a fantastic career.
Thanks for joining us.
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