Andy Murray in heartwarming interaction with young fans after opening Citi Open victory
Four weeks removed from his loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas at Wimbledon, Andy Murray got back to winning ways during the opening round of the Citi Open in Washington as he beat American Brandon Nakashima in straight sets. Despite being the visitor, the three-time Grand Slam winner received the warmest reception of the day from the crowd at stadium court.
The 36-year-old rallied to win the first-set tiebreak and beat Nakashima 7-6(5), 6-4 overall – much to the delight of those in attendance, who boosted Murray with chants of “I love you Andy!” and, “Let’s go, Andy, let’s go!” throughout the match.
After the clash, Murray thanked the fans for their loud support and went over to the stands to sign autographs and take pictures. One young Murray supporter had a wholesome interaction with his idol as he told the two-time Wimbledon winner “You’re the reason I play.”
Murray has been plagued by injuries in recent years and recently admitted he is ‘one big injury’ away from retirement. But the Brit got away problem-free in the US with a vintage display.
“It’s nice to be back and not having any of those issues and being pain-free and still competing at a high level,” Murray said. “It’s been a long journey these last four or five years, but I’m happy to still be going.”
Murray came back from 5-2 down in the tiebreak to win the opening set. After which, he turned on the style and took control of the action in the second stanza.
