Andy Murray’s disappointment was very evident during his post-match interview following his straight sets defeat at the hands of Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry and he admitted the possibility of it being his last match at the Australian Open.
He looked strangely subdued throughout the first round contest with Etcheverry which was very uncharacteristic for him.
“Yeah, there’s a definite possibility that will be the last time I play here,” the British tennis icon said.
“Whilst you’re playing the match you’re obviously trying to control your emotions, focus on the points and everything and then when you’re one point away from the end it’s like, ‘I can’t believe it’s over like so quickly and like this.’
“Walking off the court [I was] like ‘I wish I involved the crowd more’, and just disappointed with the way that I played and all that stuff. A tough, tough way to finish. It was a poor performance and very, very flat.
“There was an amazing crowd out there and I felt that they were trying to pick me up and get behind me and usually I would always engage the crowd and get them going, and bring some energy into the match, and it was really just a flat performance.
“If I play like today, I won’t win many matches playing that way. Practice is not the same thing, I’m totally aware of that. I also know what good tennis is, and played well before.
Andy Murray waves to the crowd. Is he saying goodbye?
(Photo by Will Murray/Getty Images)
Earlier, shortly after walking off court, the former world No.1 and five-time AO Finalist spoke to Eurosport’s Laura Robson with whom he won an Olympic Silver medal (mixed doubles) at the London Olympics.
“I wasn’t necessarily feeling like I was going to win the tournament, but I thought I was going to perform better than that,” a downbeat Murray said.
“[I am] disappointed that it’s over so quickly and it was just a very flat performance.”
The Brit is all too aware that he is in the autumn of his career and pondered whether that might have affected him.
“It’s normal when you get close to the end of your career that when you get out there, you put a bit of pressure on yourself,
“I was also conscious of trying to use my energy in a better way, and trying not to get too frustrated on the court. The combination of those things didn’t help.
“I didn’t deal with the situation well and when the result wasn’t going my way, I wasn’t trying to figure out a solution to try to change the match, I was just trying to stay calm and [it was] a bizarre feeling on the court.”
Asked by Robson whether he wanted to get back on the practice court straight away to work through the loss and release his frustrations.
“I don’t know,” he replied. “I don’t feel physically exhausted, unlike last year where I was completely spent, and going home I was like, ‘I want a week off’.
“Right now, I don’t feel that tired, I feel fresh, and I don’t like feeling like that when you finish a tournament, it’s not a nice way to be going home.
“I’m entered in a tournament the week after the Australian Open in France, and I’ll have a chat to my team and my family in the next few days and see where I go from here.”
Murray has now played two tour-level matches this year and has lost both.
He also admitted that he had lost some of the joy of playing tennis .
“At times in the last year, I’ve struggled and not really enjoyed it that much, and I still feel like I can play good tennis but it’s not happening on the match court and that’s where it matters.”
The odds are that he will persevere and retire after this year’s Wimbledon.
Tomas Martin Etcheverry embraces Andy Murray in what could be his last appearance at Melbourne Park
(Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)
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