Andy Murray was overcome with emotion after winning a marathon match against Marius Copil at the Citi Open in Washington.
The two-time Wimbledon champion came from one set down to win 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (4) as he reached the quarter-finals of a tournament for the first time since Wimbledon last year.
Immediately after the end of game, Murray sat courtside and began sobbing into a towel for several minutes. A former World Number 1, the Briton has slipped to number 832 in the ATP World Ranking after spending almost a year on the sideline nursing a serious hip injury, on which he underwent surgery in January.
Closing time!
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 3, 2018
In the latest #CitiOpen finish in history @andy_murray edges Marius Copil, 6-7(5) 6-3 7-6(4) to reach his 1st quarter-final in over a year.
It's AFTER 3 A.M. Take a bow, gentlemen! 🙏 pic.twitter.com/EHXXQx7FBB
The three-hour epic against Copil was Murray's latest ever finish to a match and he criticized organisers for allowing the contest to finish at 3.01am ET after rain delayed play by over three hours.
"Finishing matches at three in the morning is not good," he told the Associated Press.
"It's not good for the players. It's not good for anyone, I don't think, involved in the event. It's not good for fans, TV. Nobody."
Over the last four days, Murray has played three matches, each going the three-set distance and each lasting over two hours, and he admitted being almost exhausted.
"It doesn't feel great, just now," he explained.
"I don't know how you are expected to recover from that."
"By the time you're done with all your recovery and stuff, it's going to be six in the morning. I'd obviously try and sleep as late as I can, but with the way your body clock is and stuff, you know, you might get a few hours' sleep. It's not good. And it's basically like playing two matches in a day."
The 31-year-old is scheduled to play Australia's Alex de Minaur at 2pm ET on Friday but hinted he could withdraw from the tournament, to avoid a recurrence of the injury that kept him out for so long.
"I'm giving my view right now as someone who's just come back from a very, very long injury layoff. I don't think I should be put in a position like that, when you're expected to come out and perform the next day. I don't think it's reasonable."
The 2012 and 2016 Olympic champion last won an ATP event when he triumphed in Dubai 18 months ago.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he ... Read more
