Andy Murray. the Scottish tennis dynamo

 Andy Murray- the Scottish tennis dynamo

You'll never believe this but Andy Murray has done it again. When all the odds were heavily stacked against him and medical opinion had more or less given up on him, Murray stuck the proverbial two fingers up against the doubters and cynics who must have written him off as an ageing has been who should have been playing on the veterans circuit ages ago. The back had gone, the long term injuries were multiplying on a consistent basis and nobody thought he had it in him to stage a sensational comeback. But then something incredible happened deep into the early morning dawn of Melbourne. Good old Andy had lifted the spirits of the nation once again but this time it felt even more special. 

So just before we opened our curtains and blinds- at 4am to be precise- the Dunblane dynamo with the big, wholehearted, totally committed posture and achingly dedicated approach, fought back from the jaws of defeat and found himself in almost familiar territory. He was facing near certain defeat against Australian Thanasi Kokkninakis but then discovered a wondrous second wind and rolled back the years. It was a moment to savour and Murray now joins the illustrious list of players who have also made us  swoon with delight. 

Andy Murray was back on the big stage, a stage many of us thought he would never be able to perform to the same exalted standard as was certainly the case when the Wimbledon men's singles title was captured twice and everything was hunky dory in the world of  Andy Murray. And once again doting and loyal mum Judy was there to witness this truly remarkable exhibition of supernatural stamina, reckless abandon and the kind of endurance that a majority of his devoted fans would probably have felt beyond him.

There is something sport that continues to mystify us, makes us scratch our heads in total bemusement and then just look for some plausible explanation. When his back problems were at their most aggravating and frustrating, quite apart from being draining and physically debilitating, we all thought the retirement home for tennis was beckoning for Murray. Never again would we see the hunger, the insatiable appetite for victory, some felt the brashness and arrogance that used to be associated with him. These were passing emotions and clearly unfair since no other British player had ever come remotely close to matching him.

Yesterday morning in the early morning heat of  Melbourne, fighting back the mental and physical exhaustion that might have taken its toll on Murray, we saw a performance that was so dogged in its determination and defiance that why anybody would have thought he'd falter again at the final hurdle had to be born with scepticism in their hearts. This was Andy Murray at his commanding best, an irresistible force of nature, a bewildering whirlwind, the perfect fusion of guts and rampant ambition.

In one of the most enthralling displays of tennis most of this Australian Open crowd had, quite possibly, ever seen, Murray was all pumped up aggression, devil may care exuberance and intense focus from the opening set to another dramatic five set thriller. At times we thought we were imagining this one because Murray just dug into his old repertoire of sumptuous ground strokes, mighty returns of serve and those devastating forehand winners that fly past opponents like rockets. This was a morning to cherish and just in time for a deservedly recuperative breakfast.

At the end of one astonishing rally of heavy top spin and quite spectacular reflexes, Murray returned fire with fire with breathless returns from the back of the baseline. By the end of the match Murray, who must have been out on his feet by then, just kept going regardless of the early hour of the morning as if time was immaterial. With yet another full blooded return of serve Murray completed a quite mesmerising comeback and his Aussie opponent could hardly believe what he had just seen.

And so it is that this tennis phenomenon, obviously recalling the brilliant Ken Rosewall and Rod Laver who were still playing well into their 30s and late 30s, this was Murray's night. The dodgy back and now fully extended muscles were pleading for the Scotsman to stop. But Murray just rolls on and on into the next round of the Australian Open and just for a minute we too began to think that anything is possible. Watch this space. Murray means business and that's a warning.