Andy Murray has earned ‘ultimate respect’ of fellow pros after Matteo Berrettini win says John McEnroe

John McEnroe believes Andy Murray has earned the “ultimate respect” of his fellow professionals after again showing his fighting qualities in beating Matteo Berrettini at the Australian Open.

It was the first time Murray has beaten a top-20 opponent at a Grand Slam since 2017.

And social media was awash with praise for Murray, who is playing with a metal hip after undergoing two surgeries.

Murray’s brother Jamie, world No. 22 Denis Shapovalov, doubles specialist Rohan Bopanna, and former England defender Rio Ferdinand, were among those tweeting their shock at the spirited performance from the three-time Grand Slam champion.

“Athletes more than anyone else appreciate that ability to hang in there and bounce back,” former world No. 1 McEnroe told Eurosport.

“You see all the injuries that he’s gone through, the turmoil that goes on in your head when things aren’t going right with your body. They understand what it takes to put yourself through something like that and lay yourself on the line.

“So that’s to me the ultimate respect, because they know a lot of what he’s going through and has been through, and I think they appreciate the effort that it takes to even get out there and compete at that level.

“In some ways it becomes not about the result, it just becomes about what he’s representing, the example that he’s setting for other tennis players, even other athletes. So that’s a testament to him, but he’s long been regarded with a lot of respect in our sport.

“He’s always been one of the hardest workers but you felt like he wasn’t going to be able to go out on his terms, which any athlete hates.

“I feel now that he’s at a stage where he’s put himself back in the mix and now he can just sort of play tennis and he doesn’t have to answer these questions all the time.

“He knows that the end is pretty close, but he wants to enjoy it as much as possible.

“And I think other athletes sending a message will spur him on and make him feel better about what he’s doing.”

Murray is a five-time finalist in Melbourne but has not been past the second round since 2017.

He looks set to play Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis on Thursday.

Kokkinakis was leading 6-1 6-2 4-2 when his first-round match against Fabio Fognini was suspended overnight due to rain.

McEnroe thinks Murray would be a “solid favourite” if he can recover well from his efforts against Berrettini, and has been impressed with his progress since linking up for a third time with coach Ivan Lendl a year ago.

“He looks like he’s moving better and better, particularly the last year or so,” McEnroe continued.

“That’s pretty amazing considering he’s got metal in his hip and it’s pretty remarkable to see him moving this well. Does he move as well as he did in his prime? No, but nonetheless he still moves better than most.

“He seems to have adapted his tactics and Ivan Lendl, my old rival, he wouldn’t be wasting his time if he didn’t believe he could do big things.

“Having him in his corner and being there sends a message to his other opponents and adds an element of interest to the whole situation because Ivan is at the point where he doesn’t need to do any of this.

“That he’s rededicated himself to being with Andy tells you something. I’ve seen him a couple times last year. He talked about believing Andy was going to still do some big things. It didn’t really play out that way last year, but he’s still there, so he still believes, and I think that’s important for Andy.”

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