Despite the hip surgery of former world number one Andy Murray, the first British triumph at the Australian Open in 84 years is within reach. Kyle Edmund (23) won the quarter-finals against Bulgarian ATP World Champion Grigor Dimitrow 6-4,3-6,6-3,6-4 and played Rafael Nadal (Spain/No. 1) or Marin Cilic (Croatia/No. 6) on Thursday to win the final.
“Now I know how Andy Murray has felt over the past eight years,”said Edmund after the match in an on-court interview,”that’s an outstanding feeling. It was my first game on this court (Rod Laver Arena, Note) and it was a very special one.”
For Edmund, number 49 in the world rankings, his triumphant march to Melbourne is the greatest success of his career to date. In one of the four majors, he had never to date made it past the last sixteen. Born in South Africa, Edmund is only the sixth Briton in the history of professional tennis to reach the semi-finals of a Grand Slam.
The last British winner at the Australian Open was Fred Perry in 1934. Murray (30), who had undergone surgery shortly before the tournament opened in Melbourne, was in the final five times for the first Grand Slam of the season, but the two-time Olympic champion never clinched the title.