Andy Murray is back with that sweet, sweet defense

I can't express how glad I am to see Andy Murray back on tour – and winning! But before I crank the shower of praise to full blast, I must admit: I was once among Murray's most ardent haters. I had just started watching tennis – this was probably 2008 or 2009 – and I was actively rooting against anyone whose name wasn't Roger Federer. But it's not just because I was (and very much still am) a Roger disciple; I also loathed the way Murray carried himself on the court. I noticed that whenever he would miss a shot or fail to chase down a ball, he'd wince, or limp, or both. My barely-pubescent self thought, "there's no way he's really in that much pain during every match." In my eyes, he was deflecting any blame for the lost point to an ailment I didn't believe was really there. Turns out, his hip was falling off of his body in real time, an unimaginably painful, years-long injury that affected his life in virtually every way. So, yeah, seventh-grade me can shove it.

After two intensive operations, during which a considerable amount of metal was implanted into Murray's leg and joint, he managed to play tour-level matches again. However, until he arrived in Australia just a couple weeks ago, he had seen minimal success. He hadn't hoisted so much as Challenger-level runner-up trophy since his most recent surgery. But now he's on a bit of a hot streak, advancing to the Sydney Classic final (where he lost to world no. 20 Aslan Karatsev) and, just last night, defeating world no. 23 Nikoloz Basilashvili in a four-hour, five-set thriller. Because I had literally nothing better to do, I stayed up into the wee hours of the American morning to see how the match played out.

First, a note about Basilashvili: he's a fast, skillful, incredibly powerful player who also reminds me a bit of myself as a woefully average member of my high school tennis roster. I was not fast, and I certainly wasn't skillful, but I did try, much like Basilashvili, to hit every single ball as hard as I possibly could. The strategy seems to be working a little better for him. Still, it's no wonder that he racked up nearly a Benny's worth of unforced errors during his match with Murray.

But we have to give his opponent due credit: the only reason Basilashvili sailed and shanked so many balls was because Murray made him hit one more. His defense was simply better than Basilashvili's offense. There were glimpses – hell, whole-ass ganders – of the Murray I grew up watching, without the winces. You can just see how good he feels out there. I gleefully watched hours of the Scot doing what essentially amounted to suicides: sprinting back and forth between the deep corners of the court, returning his opponent's thumping groundstrokes. A few times, Basilashvili thought he'd hit a winner, and when the ball came back over the net, he missed it wide or long because his feet weren't set. This is vintage Murray: much like Novak Djokovic, he finds far more fulfillment in winning a long, grueling defensive point than hitting a clean winner. Even when he was panting, hands on his knees, there was a smile on his face.

Murray hasn't seen the second round of the Australian Open since 2017. His quarter of the draw looks promising, opening up the possibility of a deep run that tennis fans everywhere – even former ill-wishers like me – so badly want to see. Tomorrow he faces Taro Daniel in what will hopefully be a less exhausting showdown. You already know I'm staying up to watch it.