"I think none of us expected it," were the words of former ATP number 1 Andy Murray after defeating Swiss Stan Wawrinka and winning the Amberes Tournament. The Scot had not won a title since 2017 when he won the Dubai Tournament.
Back then, he defeated Fernando Verdasco in two sets.
"This victory means a lot to me. The past years have been very difficult. I've had many injury problems. Making a comeback in a final like this has been incredible," he said tearfully. With his victory, Murray will go from being ranked 503rd in the ATP in October to 127th on Monday.
"Stan (Wawrinka) was playing at an incredible level, hitting winners from anywhere on the court. I managed to resist somehow during the second set because it was really tight. I managed to win and I didn't expect to be in this situation," he analyzed.
However, the Scottish tennis player considered retiring after a severe hip injury took him away from the highest level. "I've been suffering for a long time, a total of twenty months. I tried everything possible but the pain didn't stop. I don't want to keep playing like this," he said in January.
"Please don't stop trying. We want to see you happy and well," Juan Martín del Potro posted on his social media dedicated to his colleague.
The support he received motivated him to go into surgery to have a metal piece inserted. "I didn't know how I would feel after the operation, but it has been great. It has completely changed my life," he said. Five months later, alongside Feliciano López, he won a tournament in Queens. Although his goal was to regain the individual crown.
Murray played several tournaments and couldn't surpass the quarterfinals in any of them. But he came to Amberes (ranked 243rd in the ATP) and even though he started the match at a disadvantage, he managed to turn the situation around and shout "champion" after 32 months. This title now places him in 127th position.
"I'm very proud of everything I did this week. This is one of the biggest victories of my career. I'm happy, very happy," he concluded. (D)