Andy Murray suggested he may only have a “few months” left in his tennis career after fighting back to beat Denis Shapovalov at the Dubai Tennis Championships on Monday.
Murray recovered after losing the opener to record a 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 victory over the Canadian in the first round of the tournament, teeing up a last-16 meeting with either Gael Monfils or Ugo Humbert.
It was just the Scot’s second win of 2024, with his poor form leading to suggestions he may soon call time on his glittering career.
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Last week, Murray dropped to 67th in the world following a defeat to 18-year-old Jakub Mensik at the Qatar Open, during which he appeared to tell his box: “This game is not for me anymore.”
Following Monday’s win, the three-time grand slam champion said that comment was born of frustration but suggested the next few months will be his last on the ATP Tour.
“People read a lot into what I say on the court sometimes and it’s not always rational,” Murray said.
“I still love competing, I still love the game. It gets harder and harder, the older you get, to compete with the young guys. You’ve got to keep your body fit and fresh.
“It’s not easy, I probably don’t have too long left, but I’ll do the best that I can these last few months.”
500 hard-court wins 👏
Remarkable achievement @ANDY_MURRAY 🙌@DDFTENNIS | #DDFTENNIS PIC.TWITTER.COM/WEXYKS7ILB
— ATP Tour (@atptour) FEBRUARY 26, 2024
Monday’s success was Murray’s 500th on a hard court, with Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi the only other male players to reach that milestone.
Asked about that figure, Murray said: “It’s not bad. Hard courts have been a great surface for me over the years. Five hundred, it’s a lot of matches.
“I’m very proud of that. There’s not many players that have done that. It’s great to get to 500 before I’m done.”
