Novak Djokovic both praised and trolled Andy Murray after the Brit’s marathon effort to overcome Thanasi Kokkinakis in the Australian Open.
In what proved one of the most incredible contests of his storybook career, the fighting Scot rallied from two sets down to come through 4-6 6-7 7-6 6-3 7-5 in a clash that didn’t finish until gone 4am. The match duration, five hours and 45 minutes, signified the longest clash Murray had ever been involved in.
Since his win the praise has been overwhelming for the 35-year-old, with some fans labelling him ‘super human’ for his display of indomitable guts and spirit. And rival Djokovic was also lavish with his praise, writing: “Phenomenal fighting spirit of a great champion! Really inspirational! Well done, mate.”
However, just moments later the Serb was back on Instagram to let Murray know that his efforts didn’t quite go far enough. Back in 2012, he battled Rafael Nadal in what remains the longest Grand Slam final of all time – and it was the Serbian who triumphed 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-7(5) 7-5.
That epic lasted five hours and 53 minutes, a mere eight minutes longer that Murray and Kokkinakis. And Djokovic posted archived photos of him looking exhausted as he sat on the deck with the trophy in front of the match time clock.
Djokovic tagged the three-time Grand Slam champion in the post and wrote: “You just felt short of 8min. Sorry mate.” He added both a laughing face and a muscle emoji, with the post clearly intended in good humour.
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Djokovic, who earlier in the day had won through to the third round with a four-set win over Enzo Couacaud, also had praise for Aussie star Kokkinakis. Also tagging him in the story, he wrote: “Amazing effort. You are a warrior.”
Whilst his win will undoubtedly go down in folklore, Murray also conceded the decision to allow the match to run so late was questionable: “I don’t know who it’s beneficial for,” he said. “A match like that and that’s what the discussion is, rather than it being like, epic Murray v Kokkinakis match.
“It ends in a bit of a farce. Amazingly people stayed until the end, and I really appreciate people doing that and creating an atmosphere for us at the end.”
