Murray says happy with progress after back surgery despite Oz Open exit

Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has insisted that he is happy with his progress after his back surgery despite going out against Swiss star Roger Federer in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Wednesday.

The Scot fought resiliently and forced their quarter-final into a fourth set before going down to the 17-time Grand Slam champion 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 in three hours and 20 minutes.

According to Sport24, Murray showed an encouraging performance in just his seventh match this season after missing the tail-end of last season following his back surgery in September, and he said that it was unlikely that he could have won the first Grand Slam back in his second tournament after coming from surgery.

The world number four further said that although he is disappointed at the result and wishes that he could have done things differently, he needs to be happy that he has got through five matches at Melbourne Park and use this experience as a stepping stone to getting better.

Hoping that he would be playing a 'decent' level fairly soon, Murray also said that his back did not bother him much during the match, adding that he thinks he did a good job getting himself in good shape to be competitive at this level.

Although he lost, Murray still leads Federer 11-10 in their head-to-head meetings, while it was the first time that the Scot has lost in five quarter-finals at the Australian Open, the report added.