Andy Murray believes he 'doesn't deserve' Roger Federer-style send-off when retirement comes

ByEurosport

Updated 25/09/2022 at 21:13 GMT

Andy Murray currently has no plans to retire from tennis, but when the time comes the Scot insists he does not "deserve" to have a Roger Federer-style send-off. Federer retired from the sport in hugely emotional scenes on Friday night at the Laver Cup alongside his great friend and rival, Rafael Nadal, in what were unforgettable moments for global tennis. Murray does not expect the same fanfare.

Andy Murray believes that he does not “deserve” to have a Roger Federer-style send-off when he finally decides to retire from tennis.

The 35-year-old stresses that he has no plans to retire at the moment, but when the time does come, he doesn’t expect to receive the kind of farewell Federer has enjoyed at the Laver Cup.

Federer retired from the sport in hugely emotional scenes on Friday night alongside his great friend and rival, Rafael Nadal, in what were unforgettable moments for global tennis.

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"I'm really not thinking about that right now," said Murray when asked if he was planning his own send-off.

"I certainly won't and don't deserve to have a send-off like that.

"Roger did deserve that night and it was super special having all of those guys there watching on the side of the court.

• Federer exclusive: 'It's been a wonderful journey'
• Federer retires: 'We all had tears in our eyes' - Bjorn Borg on very emotional scenes at Laver Cup

"Look, for me, I'm not going to have a farewell match, I guess, like that. I probably would announce when I'm going to play my last event and stuff, but when that is, I don't know.

"I'm still playing competitive tennis and physically feeling good against top players.

"I just need to start really turning some of these tight losses and close matches into wins. (It is as) simple as that."

Murray has played with a metal right hip since he underwent surgery in 2019 and has improved his ranking in 2022 from No. 134 to his current mark of No. 43.

He was a member of the Team Europe side that lost the Laver Cup for the first time. It was a day to forget for the Briton as he and Matteo Berrettini lost in the doubles on Sunday as Team World went on to win 13-8 in London.

Despite the defeat, the three-time major champion insists the Laver Cup has allowed him to reflect on what he has achieved in the game.

"[In] the few days in the build-up to that day [Friday], I found myself thinking a lot about these last sort of 10, 15 years more than I probably have done before," Murray said.

'I hope I didn't make the team lose!' - Federer jokes in speech after Laver Cup

"When I was going through some of the injury problems, I didn't know if I was going to play, I was thinking about it from my own perspective.

"But maybe looking at it more in a broader perspective, like thinking about what Roger's done for the game and what Rafa and Novak [Djokovic have done], as well, and what this period has been like, it has been special.

"We're lucky to be here and [to have been] present for Friday night."

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