Andy Murray knew he had to keep fighting when he was starting down defeat at two sets down against Yoshihito Nishioka.
“I was very close to going out but kept coming back, kept fighting, so I’m proud of that,” he said after winning a marathon five-setter 4-6, 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4), 6-4.
The 33-year-old Brit, who has had to battle back from hip surgery, was delighted with his performance.
“I’ve just played a four-and-a-half hour match when I never thought I’d be able to,” Murray said.
“I was very close to going out but kept coming back, kept fighting, so I’m proud of that.
“The biggest question would have been the physical one. That was the thing I was most happy with, that I lasted.
“That was probably my biggest doubt going in and the biggest answer I got from the match today, was physically that I was good. Tennis-wise I could do better.”
Murray conceded he now has to ‘fine-tune’ his game if he is to progress further.
He will face Canadian young gun Felix Auger-Aliassime in the next round.
