By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday February 27, 2024
36-year-old Andy Murray hasn’t had the easiest time of it in 2024, and his struggles have been reflected in his ranking, with the three-time Slam champion dropping out of the Top 50 and all the way down to No.67 in this week’s ATP rankings.
Though he is dead set on finishing career on his own terms, Murray did seem to hint on Monday in Dubai that he may be nearing the end of the line.
In recent months Murray has beat back the haters and insisted that he’s going to retire when he is good and ready. He even went public and took offense to an article written in the BBC that claimed he was tarnishing his legacy by continuing to play.
Murray dropped his first four matches of the season and entered Dubai with a 1-5 record. But after earning his 500th career hard court win on Monday in Dubai (in three sets over Denis Shapovalov), the Scot seemed to hint that he has a time and date for retirement in mind – or at least it sounded that way.
“People read a lot into what I say on the court sometimes and it’s not always rational,” Murray said after his win, referring to calls for his retirement. “But people ask me about it all the time anyway. I obviously still love competing and love the game, but it’s harder and harder the older you get to compete with the young guys and keep your body fit and fresh. It’s not easy.”
Murray, who will turn 37 on May 15, might not be planning to play beyond the 2024 season, after all.
“I probably don’t have long left but I’ll do the best I can these last few months,” he concluded.
He will face France’s Ugo Humbert in second-round action on Wednesday in Doha.
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