Andy Murray wins on Australian Open return after five-set thriller

Former world No 1 defeats Nikoloz Basilashvili in his first match at Melbourne Park in three years

Andy Murray during the Australian Open first round match against Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia in Melbourne on Tuesday, January 18, 2022. AP

Andy Murray during his Australian Open first round match against Nikoloz Basilashvili at Melbourne Park. Getty

Andy Murray hits a return against Georgia's Nikoloz Basilashvili. AFP

Daniil Medvedev, right, of Russia shakes hands with Henri Laaksonen of Switzerland after winning his first round match on Tuesday. Getty

Daniil Medvedev defeated Henri Laaksonen of Switzerland in the first round on Tuesday. AP

Daniil Medvedev hits a forehand against Henri Laaksonen in Melbourne. AP

Russia's Andrey Rublev celebrates after winning his match against Italy's Gianluca Mager. AFP

Andrey Rublev of Russia during his first round match against Gianluca Mager of Italy. Getty

Russia's Andrey Rublev, right, shakes hands with Italy's Gianluca Mager after their men's singles match. AFP

Andy Murray made an emotional comeback to the Australian Open, advancing to the second round on Tuesday after a five-set epic against 21st seed Nikoloz Basilashvili.

The former world No 1 returned to the court where he was all but retired in 2019 after opening up about the extent of his hip problems. He was back for the first time in three years, playing with a metal hip and as a wildcard.

Organisers had then produced a tribute video of his fellow players bidding him farewell but Murray is now looking more like the player of old and he found the winning touch again at Melbourne Park with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 victory after battling for almost four hours.

"It was amazing," said Murray in an on-court interview after the match. "It has been a tough three or four years.

"I've put in a lot of work to get back here. I have played on this court many times and the atmosphere is incredible. I have always had fantastic support.

"This is where I thought I had potentially played my last match three years ago but it is amazing to be back, winning a five-set battle like that. I couldn't ask for any more."

It has been a slow and frustrating process but the 34-year-old is finally able to train consistently and a first ATP Tour final for more than two years in Sydney last week was another step towards the top. His scalps last week included Georgian Basilashvili after a three-hour battle.

Reflecting on last week's encounter between the pair, Murray stated: "It was a brutal match in Sydney. We played for three hours over three sets.

"He hits the ball huge from the back of the court. I had to do a lot of running and a lot of defending.

"He is not the sort of guy you want to see next to your name in the draw too often. Obviously there was a little bit of confidence from the win last week and thankfully I managed to get over the line today."

Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev underlined his status as the player to beat in the absence of Novak Djokovic with a commanding first-round win.

Second seed Russia's Medvedev eased past 91st-ranked Henri Laaksonen 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 at the Rod Laver Arena.

With Djokovic not competing and Roger Federer out because of injury, the draw has opened up for Medvedev, 25, and Spanish great Rafael Nadal.

Nadal, who is chasing a men's record 21st Grand Slam title, set the tone on Monday with a straight-sets triumph.

"I like to play here, I like hardcourts and I want to do better than I did last year," said Medvedev, runner-up last year to Djokovic in Melbourne.

Medvedev thus extended his Grand Slam winning streak to eight matches. That includes his victory in the US Open final last September, a result that denied top-ranked Djokovic a calendar-year Grand Slam.

“I’m feeling great . . . hopefully I can show some good signs here throughout the two weeks,” Medvedev added. “I like pressure.”

Medvedev is aiming to become the first Russian man to win the Australian Open title since Marat Safin, who beat Lleyton Hewitt in the final in 2005.

Earlier, Russia's world No 6 Andrey Rublev brushed aside any concerns over a recent Covid-19 virus scare to ease into the second round.

Rublev, having his first hit-out of the new season, defeated Italian Gianluca Mager 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 at the Margaret Court Arena.

Rublev, who withdrew from the Russian team for the ATP Cup in Sydney late last month after testing positive for the virus, broke Mager's serve seven times, hit 31 winners with just 13 unforced errors.

"I was a bit tired before my first match because I was positive to Covid, but now everything is fine," Rublev said.

"I didn't know how I would play in my first match, it's not easy when you go into one of the best tournaments without playing for a few weeks.

"But I am really happy with how it all went."

Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner beat Joao Sousa 6-4, 7-5, 6-1, while Diego Schwartzman defeated Filip Krajinovic 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 to advance along with Roberto Bautista Agut and Marin Cilic.

There was an unfortunate development on Tuesday as world No 8 Casper Ruud withdrew from the Australian Open, just hours before his first match at the year's opening Grand Slam, after sustaining an ankle injury in practice.