Andy Murray will consider dropping down a level and playing Challenger events after his sixth consecutive defeat on the ATP Tour. The former world No.1 went down 7-5 6-4 to world No.66 Tomas Machac at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille.
The Scot, who turns 37 in May and has a metal hip, last won in October – his only victory in his last 10 matches. “The only way is to be on the match court and try and find ways to win some matches,” said the three-time Grand Slam winner.
“You can try to do it on the practice court as well but what happens on the practice court doesn’t always translate into matches. You need to get on the match court and try and find a way through it. Maybe dropping down a level, playing Challengers to build confidence as well.”
The Scot took to social media last week to insist “I won’t quit” after a claim his current form could damage his legacy. “A couple of losses now won’t change what I have achieved throughout my career,” he stated
Murray, who won second-tier Challenger events at Surbiton and Nottingham last summer to get ready for Wimbledon, is next scheduled to play at the Qatar Open in Doha in the week beginning February 19.
Meanwhile, at the Abu Dhabi Open, Heather Watson claimed her best victory by ranking since 2017 to upset Russian world No.16 Veronika Kudermetova 6-3 7-5.
Emma Raducanu will bid to reach her first quarter-final of the season – and beat a top-10 player for the first time – against Tunisian Ons Jabeur today. “She’s definitely the home favourite here, rightfully so,” said the 2021 US Open winner.
Raducanu has set up her showdown with Jabeur following her opening round victory over Marie Bouzkova ar the Abu Dhabi Open – having made her first appearance since her Australian Open defeat.
She won 10 of the last 11 games against Bouzkova to claim a 6-4 6-1 victory over her rival. She will now be desperate to produce a statement performance against one of the leading female players in the game, in the form of Jabeur.
