Andy Murray had one thing on his mind as he walked off the court with the Australian Open runner-up trophy, yet again: Would he make his early-morning flight back to Britain to be with his wife Kim, who is about to give birth to their first childIJ
Murray rushed into his post-match news conference, answered eight questions — very succinctly, for him — and was out the door and on his way to the airport, with a little over 1 ½ hours to catch his flight.
"Regardless of today's result, it's been hard," he said about the two-week tournament. "I just want to get home."
Murray has had tough campaigns at Grand Slams in the past, including here at the Australian Open, where he's now lost five times in the finals following his 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (3) defeat to Novak Djokovic on Sunday. But he's perhaps never had a major tournament quite like this, filled with so many uncertainties and distractions.
Murray's wife, Kim Sears, is due to give birth in early February, and he said before the tournament even began that he'd be willing to jump on a plane back to Britain if she went into labor while he was in Australia. "You know, I started the last couple of matches quite slowly, I think, understandable in some respects," he said. "Obviously, it's not good to begin matches like that against someone like Novak."
To add to his anxieties in Melbourne, Murray also had a scare after his third-round victory over Joao Sousa when he was told that his wife's father, Nigel Sears, had become ill while watching a match in Rod laver Arena and had to be carried out on a stretcher. "It was a difficult one," he said Sunday. "It was close. I've never been in that position before, so it's as close as I've sort of been to leaving a Grand Slam." Murray leaves Melbourne without the trophy again, but he's going back home to a much bigger prize this time. "You've been a legend the last two weeks," Murray told his wife in his on-court speech after the match. "Thank you for your support and I'll be on the next flight home."