Andy Murray has doubled down on his pledge to retire in the summer after claiming ‘no one is listening’ to him. It comes after Murray fell to a straight sets defeat to Andrey Rublev in the second round of action at Indian Wells.
Things had started well for the Scot, who held serve for a 5-4 lead during a tense first set, but it proved too big of a task for Murray, who eventually lost the opening battle. Frustration for Murray, who had looked in strong form during his first-round victory against David Goffin earlier this week.
The former Wimbledon winner has opened up about his future though, hinting this year could be the final time tennis fans get to watch the British ace in action. Speaking after the defeat against Rublev in California, the 36-year-old said: “Well, yeah. I feel like no one is listening to me. I mean, yeah, I’m planning on finishing in the summer. I don’t know what more I’m supposed to say.
“I’ve been getting asked about it for, yeah, 18 months or so, and it’s obviously something I have thought about, but, you know, I hadn’t made a decision on. Once I have made the decision, I have expressed that, and no one is listening to it. So I don’t really understand why I keep getting asked, to be honest.”
Murray had previously announced plans to retire all the way back in 2019, when the Glasgow-born star was just 31 years old. That was because a hip injury that had been plaguing his performances, but after a successful surgery to fix the problem, Murray made a triumphant return to the court and has been able to extend his career even further.
However, fast forward five years and it looks as if the soon-to-be 37-year-old is finally set to call it a day for good. Murray teased his potential retirement earlier in the year, hinting that after almost 20 years on tour as a professional, he’s thinking about when the best time to retire could be, having hinted he was a fan of how legendary tennis star Roger Federer brought an end to his career.
Whenever Murray decides to call it a day, he’ll be leaving behind a storied career in the sport. The former world number one will go down as not only one of Britain’s best-ever tennis players, but also one of the nation’s best-ever sportsmen.
