The end appears to be near for Andy Murray.
Murray played two matches at this week’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, and after each one he indicated that his retirement from tennis is coming this year–perhaps even well before the end of the year.
The 37-year-old Scot, who is a two-time finalist in Dubai (won the title in 2017), defeated Denis Shapovalov 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 in the opening round. Afterward Murray was asked about a recent in-match comment he made in which he suggested, “this game isn’t for me anymore.”
“People read a lot into what I say on the court sometimes, and it’s not always rational,” the three-time Grand Slam champion joked. “But everyone asks me about it all the time, anyway. Obviously I still love competing and still love the game. But it gets harder and harder the older you get to compete with the young guys and keep your body fit and fresh. Not easy. I probably don’t have too long left, but I’ll do the best that I can these last few months.”
Murray didn’t have too long left in Dubai, where he fell to a red-hot Ugo Humbert 6-2, 6-4 during second-round action on Wednesday afternoon. Following his loss, the former world No. 1 confirmed that his “last few months” comment does mean that he plans to retire this summer.
“I’m likely not going to play past this summer,” he said. “I get asked about it after every single match that I play, every single tournament that I play. I’m bored of the question, to be honest.
“When the time is right I will probably say something before I play my last match and my last tournament. Whether I say anything months ahead of the time, I don’t know. There’s no right way of finishing your career and everyone is different so what might be the right way for (Roger) Federer might not be the right way for (Rafael) Nadal–might not be the right way for (Novak) Djokovic.”
Murray has indicated that he wants to play the French Open and the Olympics one last time, and it goes without saying that the two-time Wimbledon winner will target a last hurrah at the All-England Club.
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