Murray working hard to extend his fading career

Scot has identified the weaknesses that resulted in adesperate year and reduced his enjoyment of the game

- Tumaini Carayol

As Andy Murray continued on his arduous, brutal path towards greatness 14 years ago, he stared down Marin Cilic A for a place in the Australian Open final. While Murray was 22 years old then, Cilic was even younger and less experienced. After a nerveless start from the Croat, Murray methodically reeled in his challenger to reach his first of five Melbourne finals in seven years.

Yesterday at the Kooyong Classic in the suburbs of the city, the pair resumed their decades-long rivalry under less intense circumstances. Now 36 and 35 years old respectively, both players grand slam title winners, they are in the twilight of their careers and desperately trying to hold on. As Murray fights against the odds after his career-altering hip injuries, Cilic is returning after undergoing knee surgery last January.

Their practice match in Kooyong, held in the handsome club that previously hosted the Australian Open, ended with a 6-3, 7-5 victory for Cilic as his far more consistent serving and clean, unrelenting aggression from the baseline awarded him the victory. Two poor service games from Murray, one in each set, proved the difference.