Andy Murray found very little power both from the service line and within the court and compounded his problems with apparent sluggishness, but held his nerve and managed to push past Mackenzie McDonald in three tiring sets late on Monday night.
The onetime world No. 1 won 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 in two and half hours after losing his serve three times in the first set, four times in his first six service games and putting barely half of first serves in play. He failed to convert five break points at 5-4, then caught a huge break in the next game when McDonald appeared to lean over the net to play a drop volley.
That the onetime world No. 1 appeared rusty and far from perfect was unsurprising, given his lengthy hip woes and few recent matches. Still, he looked to hit a wall after breaking McDonald early in the first set, walking gingerly and putting the match firmly on the racket of the world No. 80.
Murray put just 48 percent of first serves in play in the first set, won fewer than half of points on his serve and double faulted four times. It carried over in the second set, as the Scotsman lost his opening serve before immediately breaking back.
He began to hit his spots more consistently and change speeds effectively as the match progressed, though he still showed obvious signs of physical discomfort. He often used an abbreviated stride and appeared to shake out his left leg at times, while looking flat-footed on several returns.
McDonald, who powered groundstrokes to all corners of the court with ease in the early going, tightened as he neared the finish line in the second set — and as midnight approached, after rain delayed play several hours — and lost his accuracy. An exuberant Murray forced break points at 4-4, somewhat oddly screaming in celebration well before a wide McDonald forehand bounced wide.
The three-time grand slam champion rarely approached 100 miles per hour on second serves and virtually never ran around groundstrokes, but displayed just enough veteran prowess in the final stages and eventually converted his seventh match point. With the win — his second in a year and first on a hard court in 18 months — Murray sets up a highly anticipated second round match with No. 4 seed Kyle Edmund, set for Wednesday.
