Andy Murray says French Open achievements 'minuscule in comparison' to Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic
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Published 27/05/2024 at 07:27 GMT
Andy Murray was beaten in straight sets by Stan Wawrinka in the first round of the French Open. It is expected to be his final appearance in the singles competition at Roland Garros, with the Brit strongly suggesting he will retire from the sport later this year. Murray still has the doubles competition to play alongside Dan Evans, and wants to return to Paris to play in the Olympics.
Stan Wawrinka v Andy Murray - Roland-Garros highlights
Andy Murray has reflected on his legacy at the French Open with pride but says he could have enjoyed more success at the Grand Slam in a "different time".
The former world No. 1 was beaten in straight sets by Stan Wawrinka in the first round at Roland-Garros, in what is expected to be his final appearance in the men's singles.
With speculation around his retirement mounting, Murray has frequently said he is unsure if he will play “past the summer”.
He still has the doubles competition to play alongside Dan Evans at the second major of the year, and the Scot is still hopeful of returning to the French clay in the colours of Great Britain at this summer’s Olympics.
However, following his defeat to Wawrinka, Murray was in a reflective mood as he appeared to indicate he had just made his final solo appearance at the tournament.
“I did really well here over the years,” he said.
“I think the issue for me is that when you compare it to what Rafa [Nadal] or Novak [Djokovic] achieved in the same time, it obviously is minuscule in comparison.
“Most players would sign up for the results I've had here. I played [in the] final, I think four semis and made the quarters I don't know how many times. I lost to Novak in five, Stan in five, and twice to Rafa. Obviously no shame in that.
“In a different time maybe the results would have been a bit different. I'm proud of the results that I had here. I had great memories.
“It was not an easy surface for me but I always showed up and put in some strong performances, considering. It was a good run here over the years.”
Wawrinka, 39, is also in the twilight of his career and the pair embraced at the net after the match and spoke to each other at length.
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'Two champions going head-to-head' - Murray, Wawrinka share heartfelt embrace
Asked what was said, Murray replied: “It's a private conversation, but I said well done for winning.
“We have obviously played each other and known each other for an extremely long time. I first played him back in 2005 and had some great matches with him.
“We spent a lot of time on the practice court and stuff with each other over the years. We're obviously both close towards the end.”
'People started playing tennis because of him'
Wawrinka could face another British player in round two at Roland Garros, with the draw putting him up against the winner of Cameron Norrie against Pavel Kotov.
However, before thinking about his next match, the Swiss player took time to pay tribute to Murray.
He said: “I think Andy did everything he could since he arrived on tour super young. He was an amazing fighter, he always found a solution.
“He's one of the hardest workers on tour. Since more than 20 years, he always wanted to improve, he's improved his game. Like you say, at the French Open he made the semi-final, he went to the final, he became number one, he achieved everything a player could in tennis.
“He's an amazing champion, an amazing guy and I think he has a lot of fans, a lot of people started playing tennis because of him.
“I respect him a lot, I enjoyed playing him a lot the last 20 years, we played so many times, so many big battles and hopefully he's going to keep going a little bit."
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