Andy Murray believes he 'can do some damage' at Grand Slams before retiring from tennis
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Updated 21/01/2023 at 14:28 GMT
Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray feels he has shown he is still capable of going deep into a major tournament, after a gutsy week at the Australian Open that ended in defeat to Roberto Bautista Agut. Murray was involved in three entertaining matches, including a five-set thriller against Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round that finished just after 04:00 local time in Melbourne.
Bautista Agut downs Murray as Brit's epic run ends - Australian Open highlights
Andy Murray says he is enjoying tennis, knowing he "can do some damage" before he retires, after an entertaining week at the Australian Open.
Murray battled through two five-set matches to reach the third round in Melbourne, before losing 6-1 6-7(7) 6-3 6-4 to Roberto Bautista Agut on Saturday.
Since having hip surgery in 2019, the three-time Grand Slam champion has slowly risen up the rankings and still believes he can go on a big run at a major.
“I think obviously you never know exactly when the end is going to be,” said Murray. “But I would like to go out playing tennis like this, competing with the best players in the world at the biggest events and doing myself justice.
“Maybe [there were] times in the last year or so where I didn’t feel like I was playing well and I wasn’t enjoying the way I was playing.
“Those sacrifices and that effort I put in allowed me to get through those matches and play at a high level that I think was entertaining for the people watching.
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Bautista Agut downs Murray as Brit's epic run ends - Australian Open highlights
“I felt good about the way I was playing, it’s more enjoyable for me when I’m coming into a major event and really believing I can do some damage.
“But, yeah, I can have a deeper run than a third round of a slam, there’s no question about that but obviously, you can have draws open up for you but I also need to help myself with that.
“If I was playing this level last year, I probably wouldn’t be ranked 50 or 60 in the world so it’s up to me to try and change that.”
Murray saved two set points in the second set to level the match after a thrilling tie-break. However, key breaks from Bautista Agut in the next two sets saw him clinch the match.
Nevertheless, it’s the most impressive run Murray has had at a Grand Slam since 2017 and he is “proud” of his efforts.
“I feel like I gave everything that I had to this event so I’m proud of that,” he said. “With everything you’re doing, that’s all you can do.
“You can’t always control the outcome, you can’t control how well you’re going to play or the result but you can control the effort that you put into it and I gave everything I had the last three matches so I’m very proud of that.
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Bautista Agut says Murray win 'one of the toughest' matches he has ever played
“But I’m also disappointed because I’ve put loads of work into the beginning of this year and was playing well enough to have a really good run, a deep run.
“Even tonight I’m competing against a guy who is 20 in the world and still very tight so considering the circumstances, I’m disappointed because I feel I could have gone quite a bit further.”
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