Despite fraying emotions and pumped up tension, Andy Murray has successfully made it to the last eight of the Australian Open after shattering home hopes with a victory over Bernard Tomic.
Tomic, a Stuttgart stud whom spent almost 20 years in Australia was put forward to face a rather emotional Murray was overpowered by the intensity of the match.
Dealing with family issues, Murray recently claimed that he would possibly withdraw from the tournament if it weren’t for his father in-law’s (Nigel Sears) speedy recovery. However, he rightfully reached the quarter finals for the seventh time in a row after beating Tomic in three intense sets yesterday.
An agitated Murray was seen yelling and rebuking himself throughout the whole match as he struggled to keep up with Tomic’s unusual pattern but he managed to scrape a win after ultimate downing his young opponent 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (4).
Murray was in a emotional wreck as soon as he heard news of Sears collapsing in the stands of Rod Laver Arena two days ago. The family orientated Scot was beyond worried and even stated that he would fly home anytime soon if his wife went into labor as she is nearing her due date.
“If the news was not positive, then, no, there was absolutely no chance I would have kept playing,” said Murray as quoted from The Guardian.
“It was a tough couple of days. There is a lot of stuff going on right now, back home as well. It has not been easy for anyone.”
“Me and Nigel are very close, we spend a lot of time together. I’ve known him longer than I’ve known Kim, almost, because of what he does. It was tough.”
“The fact I was able to handle everything that has happened the last few days was a good sign. I wasn’t perfect today- far from it – and I didn’t expect to be before I went on the court. I did show a lot of emotion and was very expressive on the court, animated from almost the first point of the match, the first game of the match- and I expected to feel that way, but I think in the next few days I will definitely be a lot calmer, get some good rest in and I think I will be fine now.”
Murray will be facing eighth seed David Ferrer, a two-time semifinal in the quarters.
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