Andy Murray Saved His Ass With The Best, Dumbest Drop Shot

Today in poor decisions: Andy Murray, down match point at the Dubai Championships, went for this comically risky drop shot against Philipp Kohlschreiber.

It worked. Watching the replay, Murray doesn’t appear to make the cleanest contact—did he catch the frame a little?—but that’s easy to forgive when you consider the ridiculous angle he created.

It’s uncharacteristic shot selection for Murray, who would usually just drive that forehand down the line. He knew it was a bad idea, too.

“That was probably the worst decision I made in the whole match. Look, it paid off, but if I was coaching someone, I certainly wouldn’t tell them to try a shot like that,” the world No. 1 said after the match. “Maybe when the ball’s a bit higher, it’s easier, but it was off a slice, and I was running around the ball. It was literally the most extreme angle possible. There’s a lot of luck involved in that shot.”

Murray saved that match point and six others(!) to stave off an upset by world No. 29 Kohlschreiber. He went on to win that second set tiebreak 20-18(!!!), and then a quick final set, for a 6-7, 7-6, 6-1 victory in the third round.