Andy Murray says 'there's a definite possibility' he's played last Australian Open match after first-round loss

Published 15/01/2024 at 10:35 GMT

Andy Murray says he could have played his last match at the Australian Open, after losing to Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the first round. The three-time Grand Slam champion produced an uncharacteristically flat performance in a 6-4 6-2 6-2 defeat to the 30th seed from Argentina. Murray says he could not believe the match was "over so quickly" and regretted not involving the crowd more.

'Definitely a possibility' - Murray hints that defeat could be his final match in Australia

Andy Murray has raised questions about his future in tennis, after admitting "there's a definite possibility" he has played his last match at the Australian Open.

The former world No. 1 crashed out in the first round of the Grand Slam as he was beaten 6-4 6-2 6-2 by Argentine 30th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry at Melbourne Park.

Murray went into the tournament with a fresh mindset and looking to be kinder to himself, after finishing last season by saying he was “not enjoying” his tennis.

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But he appeared strangely subdued throughout his match with Etcheverry and admitted in his post-match press conference that his demeanour on court was uncharacteristic.

“Yeah, there's a definite possibility that will be the last time I play here,” said the five-time Australian Open runner-up.

“Whilst you’re playing the match you're obviously trying to control your emotions, focus on the points and everything and then when you're one point away from the end it's like, ‘I can't believe it's over like so quickly and like this.’

“Walking off the court [I was] like ‘I wish I involved the crowd more’, and just disappointed with the way that I played and all that stuff. A tough, tough way to finish.

“It was a poor performance and very, very flat.

"There was an amazing crowd out there and I felt that they were trying to pick me up and get behind me and usually I would always engage the crowd and get them going, and bring some energy into the match, and it was really just a flat performance.”

'Tough to keep believing' - Murray downbeat after first-round loss

Murray says he expected more of himself having trained recently with players including Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, and knows he has to improve his results if he is to have a deep run at tournaments.

“If I play like today, I won’t win many matches playing that way. Practice is not the same thing, I’m totally aware of that. I also know what good tennis is, and played well before.

“In the last week, 10 days, I know how well I was playing against the best players in the world. That’s why it’s so frustrating on the match court. It’s not there.

“I’ve been telling myself that at some stage it will, but obviously when you have performances like today or a batch of results over a period of time like I have done, it’s tough to keep believing in that.”