Andy Murray roars back at Indian Wells to bring up 700th career victory

As Andy Murray began a pivotal season in this late period of his career, one of the small, humble goals he has frequently said he hoped to achieve was a 700th career win on the ATP tour.

It is a feat that only 17 other men’s players have achieved in the history of the sport, generally a sign of historic excellence.

On Friday, in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open, Murray pulled off his milestone victory in a typically gritty match filled with resilience in absence of his top level.

After suffering a battering in the first set and trailing 1-3 in the final set, Murray recovered to defeat Taro Daniel of Japan 1-6, 6-2, 6-4.

“It means a lot,” Murray said. “It was a target I set myself towards the end of last year and with everything that has gone on the last few years it has not been easy to get there. Great achievement, not a lot of guys have been able to do it.”

Despite being a rare lower-ranked opponent for Murray, Daniel has started the year playing some of his best tennis, which he demonstrated most notably at the Australian Open by handing Murray one of the worst grand slam losses of his career, winning 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in their second round match. While Murray responded by dominating Daniel last month in Doha, Daniel burst into their third match in three months at a high level. He served well, controlled the baseline and showed how he has infused his smart counterpunching with a heavier forehand.

While Daniel was faultless throughout the first set, Murray’s shot quality was poor as he continually dropped the ball short. But he cleaned up his forehand in the second set and after trailing 1-3 in the final set, he recovered to 4-3. With Daniel serving to stay in the match at 4-5, Murray refused to miss and clinched an