Andy Murray-conquerer Andrea Vavassori recalls how he idolized the Brit after stunning Madrid win

Andrea Vavassori has stated that he is a fan of three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray, who he beat at the 2023 Madrid Open on Thursday, April 28.

Vavassori defeated Murray 6-2, 7-6(7) in the Round of 64 in Madrid. The latter expressed his frustration at the result by screaming and smashing his racket off the bench. The World No. 52 from Britain saved four match points in the second-set tiebreak but eventually lost the contest in an hour and 32 minutes.

In an on-court interview, Vavassori, who scored his career's biggest win so far, praised Murray and remarked that he was a fan of the two-time Wimbledon winner.

"It's a dream come true in a tournament like this, in a court like this against a true champion like him," he said. "I've followed him all my tennis career. I think, until the second half of the second set, I played the best tennis of my life. Then the nerves come in a little bit. At the end, just joy."

Vavassori, who entered the main draw as a qualifier, broke Murray thrice and won 78 percent (32/41) of the points on his first serve. The Italian player hit 23 winners to just 15 from his 35-year-old opponent.

In a press conference after the match, a disappointed Murray commended Vavassori, who will face Daniil Medvedev in the second round.

"It wasn't great. Started to play a bit better towards the end, but the start was slow," the former World No. 1 said. "He played very well at the beginning, and he's serving huge, you know, big kick serve, and in these conditions, not easy to control that. I certainly struggled with that in the beginning."

"Then, yeah, obviously second set started to get into it a bit more. I was playing a bit better, some positive signs, some of the errors, you know, are hard to explain." he added.

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Andy Murray unsure about playing French Open 2023

Andy Murray

Like in Madrid, Andy Murray faced an opening-round exit at the Monte-Carlo Masters as well, when he lost to Alex de Minaur earlier this month. When asked whether he will play at the 2023 French Open, the Brit stated that although his goal was Wimbledon, he wanted to play in Paris as well.

"I would like to play, you know, purely because I don't know if I'll get another opportunity to play again. Whilst I feel fit and healthy, I would like to give it a go," Andy Murray said.

"But I also have ambitions of competing for Wimbledon titles and I know that sitting here today, that probably doesn't sound realistic, but I do believe that it's a possibility," he added.

Murray, who has produced some thrilling matches this season, has a win-loss record of 8-7 in 2023.