What an afternoon for Andy Murray!
Andy Murray claims to be on his best form since 2017 after defeating Corentin Moutet in the first round of the US Open.
Former world No. 1 Murray has recognized the difficulty of his journey in the sport over the past few years. After winning three Grand Slam titles, including a US Open victory in 2012, the Scot suffered a serious hip injury that he thought would end his tennis career.
However, after undergoing a successful surgery, Murray decided to continue competing and began the long climb back up the ATP Ranking.
The 36-year-old faced French tennis player Moutet in the opening round and prevailed in straight sets, winning, 6-2, 7-5, 6-3. Speaking after the match, Murray revealed that he felt this was the most consistently he's been playing since 2017.
"I'm at my highest ranking since I had the metal hip put in so I'm happy with that. It's not been an easy journey and obviously I'd like to be ranked higher.
"This is the best I've played consistently since probably 2017. I'm happy to still be going and progressing and hoping I can push my ranking up," he said.
Murray also expressed his joy at starting out strong in the Slam, especially after an abdominal strain forced him to pull out of the recent Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open.
"I feel good, the preparation was slightly tricky because I had to slowly build my serving up but I was happy with how I served today.
"I hope it was entertaining for everyone. There were some fun points, so I'm happy to get through in straight sets," he continued.
In progressing to the second round, Murray was part of an exciting achievement for British players, as all six of his compatriots at the tournament also made the second round at the New York major for the first time in 45 years.
Murray will face nineteenth seed Grigor Dimitrov in the second round of the US Open.
What an afternoon for Andy Murray!