Andy Murray revealed he was ‘incredibly irritated’ by the Cristiano Ronaldo inspired celebrations from the Australian Open crowd following his hard-fought victory over Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Murray remarkably returned to the arena where he thought he had played his last competitive game in 2019, to defeat Basilashvili 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 in a five-set cracker in Melbourne.
During his nail-biting tournament opener cries of ‘SIU’ - a celebration synonymous with Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo - could be heard being shouted by the crowd.
The popularity of Ronaldo’s run, jump and shout celebration has skyrocketed since his move back to the Premier League last summer, and it now seems it has reached sports fans Down Under.
Despite what were supposed to be celebrations by the Melbourne spectators, Murray revealed he found the cries irritating.
Following the match he commented: “I think it's like 'Siuu' or something that Ronaldo does when he scores.
"And, yeah, it was incredibly irritating (smiling). Yeah, I think that's what they were doing."
The former British and world No. 1 also revealed that he thought the crowd were booing him when he initially heard the sound.
Murray said: “Initially, I thought it was [booing], because there were some people booing during my practice yesterday.
“I had no idea what for. Yeah, so originally that's what I thought it was."
Away from the crowd distractions, the Scot put on a performance similar to those seen back in his prime to set up a second round clash with Taro Daniel.
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Murray has been through a torrid few years, having been on the brink of retirement in Melbourne just three years ago.
However, the Scot said it was ‘amazing’ to be back competing at the highest level following his five-set victory.
“It was amazing. It has been a tough three or four years,” commented the two-time Wimbledon champion.
“I’ve put in a lot of work to get back here. I have played on this court many times and the atmosphere is incredible. I have always had fantastic support.
“This is where I thought I had potentially played my last match three years ago but it is amazing to be back, winning a five-set battle like that. I couldn’t ask for any more.”
