Andy Murray hails ‘amazing’ Australian Open win against Nikoloz Basilashvili

As a new day of first-round matches began at the Australian Open on Tuesday morning, the big screen situated at Garden Square in the shadow of Rod Laver Arena had transported back three years to around the same time in 2019.

The subject was Andy Murray’s last appearance on these shores, starting with his tearful press conference as he announced that retirement could be imminent, before he somehow defied his crumbling hip to battle with a top-25 player, Roberto Bautista Agut, for more than four hours on the Melbourne Arena.

The last time he was seen at the Australian Open, he was being shown a video of his peers wishing him well in the next chapter of his life.

Much in the sport has changed, but Murray has stubbornly remained. He returned to the same stadium and found himself deep in another five-setter, but this time he rose to defeat Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4, securing his first victory at the Australian Open since 2017.

“It is amazing,” he said. “It has been a tough three or four years. It is a lot of hard work to get back here.

“I have played on this court many times. The atmosphere is always incredible. This is where I thought I had potentially played my last match three years ago. It is great to be back. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Basilashvili is one of biggest ball-strikers in the world, but he is so erratic that while he has spent much of the past few years in and around the top 20, he still has a losing win-loss career record. A week ago, Murray picked Basilashvili off after three dramatic hours of play in their second round match at the Sydney International.

Murray entered this match with the goal of digging a trench behind the baseline, mixing up his game with slices and changes of