Former World No. 1 Andy Murray contemplates retirement after disappointing Australian Open 2024 exit
“It's a definite possibility that will be the last time I play here,” Andy Murray said in a candid admission following his first round exit from the Australian Open 2024 on Monday.
FollowAndy Murray, in a candid admission, expressed that his disappointing first-round departure from the Australian Open on Monday might signal the end of his appearances at Melbourne Park. The five-time finalist Down Under appeared deflated following his 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 loss to No. 30 seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry. At the age of 36 and with a metal hip, the Scottish player mentioned that repeated performances like today's would make it increasingly challenging to extend any retirement timeline he may have in mind.
“It's a definite possibility that will be the last time I play here,” Murray said. “In comparison to the matches that I played here last year, it's the complete opposite feeling walking off the court. Yeah, wish I involved the crowd more. Just disappointed with the way I played… a tough, tough way to finish…"
“I have an idea of when I would probably like to finish playing. So much of that depends on how you're playing. The time frame for that narrows when you play and have results like today," the former World No.1 added.
Monday's lackluster performance stood in stark contrast to Andy Murray's inspired displays just 12 months ago. During the first round, he labored for nearly five hours to secure a victory over Matteo Berrettini in a fifth-set tie-break. Murray followed that grueling match with a 7-5 win in the fifth set over Thanasi Kokkinakis, a contest that concluded at the remarkable hour of 4:05 am.
“It was really just a flat performance. I don't know exactly why that was the case because I've been feeling good going in,” Murray said. “Played pretty well in Brisbane. Practised really well the last 10 days or so…"
“Today the crowd all showed up again and gave me brilliant support. I didn't give enough. I felt like I didn't give enough back and I'm disappointed with that because they have helped me a lot over the years in matches here," Murray added.
Ranked at No. 44 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Andy Murray revealed that he has discussed the timing of his retirement with both his family and team.
“I've spoken to them about it. I've spoken to my family about it. I've spoken to my team about it. They’re very aware of how I feel about things, where I would like to finish playing, when that would be. I haven't made any definite decisions on that. It's obviously something that I need to think about and see exactly when that is," he stated.
Murray boasts an impressive tally of 46 tour-level titles, which includes three major championships, two Olympic singles gold medals, and the 2016 Nitto ATP Finals.
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