Andy Murray know he will not be able to move across a tennis court like he used to be able to – but is still backing himself to keep improving as he plays more matches.
The Scot began his Australian Open campaign with a hard-fought victory over 21st seed Nikoloz Basilashvili.
It took five sets and almost four hours to get the job done, but Murray proved he can still go the distance in these long-lasting matches to claim his first win at the Melbourne Major in five years.
Coming out on the right end of that result was important to the 34-year-old, who is focussed on continuing his progress after so many years of disruption through injuries.
"Beating Basilashvili was a big win for me," the triumphant Scot wrote in his column for BBC Sport.
"A lot of work has gone into getting back to this tournament and to physically compete at the highest level, so beating a guy ranked in the top 25 and winning a match in five sets was very satisfying.
"I'm probably never going to move as well as I did as I did when I was 25.
"But the more matches I play, staying healthy for a long period of time and not missing lots of training, means I am going to continue to improve my movement. Then, my physicality on the court will get better.
"When I've had breaks like I've had and missed two or three months it takes time to build up physicality again.
"Because I've had these consistent matches and I've been able to train for long periods in the past seven, eight months, my movement and anticipation is getting better again."
Murray did go on to admit he is grateful to have a day's rest after his slugfest with Basilashvili, before heading back to the court for more action.
He will take on Taro Daniel of Japan in the second round on Thursday, and believes the amount of time he spent playing his opening match will help him to negotiate his second outing.
