KEY POINTS

  • Andy Murray defeated Francisco Cerundolo in his first round
  • Murray won the U.S. Open in 2012
  • Ivan Lendl was Murray's coach during the 2012 edition

Andy Murray has heaped praise on former World No. 1 Ivan Lendl, saying his support is "really important."

Murray's comments came after he defeated 24th seed Francisco Cerundolo 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 in the first round at the U.S. Open on Monday. The 2012 champion took two hours and 41 minutes to go past Argentina's Cerundolo at the Louis Armstrong Stadium.

"It was very tricky conditions today. It was very humid and hot. I am very happy with the way I got through that one, it was not easy. He has had a brilliant year this year and I knew I had to play well and I did in the important moments," Murray said in his on-court interview, according to ATP.

The British player improved to 15-1 in the opening-round games at the U.S. Open and also climbed six places to No. 45 in the latest ATP Live Rankings with his win over Cerundolo.

When Murray won the New York Grand Slam a decade ago, eight-time major winner Lendl was his coach. The Czech coach was once again present on the courtside during his match Monday.

"To have him [Lendl] there supporting me is really important. We have had great results together. He is still there supporting me at this stage in my career when many people wouldn't. So I really appreciate the time he is taking to do that," added Murray.

Andy Murray fought back in the second set tiebreaker to get to 4-5 before Alexander Zverev finished him off at the net
Andy Murray is a three-time Grand Slam champion AFP / Frederic J. BROWN

This year has turned out to be a breakthrough year for the 35-year-old Murray. He now holds a 20-14 record this season, having reached finals on hard court in Sydney and grass court in Stuttgart. The Sydney final marked his first ATP final since 2019.

The three-time Grand Slam champion will next take on local wild card entrant Emilio Nava, who defeated Australia's John Millman 7-6(9), 4-6, 7-6(4), 1-6, 6-1 in his first round.

Meanwhile, the 2020 U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem failed to go past his opening round as he ended up losing to Pablo Carreno Busta 7-5, 6-1, 5-7, 6-3.

World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas, who entered the U.S. Open chasing the top ATP rank, suffered a shock first-round exit following his four-set defeat to Colombian qualifier Daniel Elahi Galan on Monday night.