In the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Monday, Andy Murray defeated Denis Shapovalov of Canada 4-6 7-6(5) 6-3, marking his 500th hardcourt victory. Murray then made a suggestion that this might be his final season.
Murray became the fifth player in the professional era to surpass the 500th tour-level win milestone on the surface, joining Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andre Agassi, and Rafael Nadal as the only others.
“Obviously hardcourt has been a great surface for me over the years and 500 is a lot of matches so I’m very proud of that,” Murray stated.
“There aren’t many players that have done that, so, great to get to 500 before I’m done.”
The 36-year-old Murray only won twice this year after losing in the first round of the most recent Australian Open. Murray hasn’t advanced past the third round of a Grand Slam since qualifying for the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2017.
The 18-year-old Jakub Mensik defeated Andy Murray in his second round match in Qatar last week. Murray, a three-time Grand Slam singles champion and former world number one, looked to be screaming, “This game is not for me anymore,” during the loss.
After Monday’s victory in Dubai, he downplayed those remarks but acknowledged that his career might be coming to an end.
“People read a lot into what I say on the court sometimes and it’s not always rational,” he stated.
“I still enjoy playing the game and competing. Being older makes it more difficult to compete with the younger guys.”It’s not easy, and I doubt I have much time left, but I’ll try my hardest over these final few months.”
Following yet another first-round loss in Montpellier last month, Murray spoke to a BBC piece in which a writer asked whether his gallantly continuing to fight will be a mark on his legacy.
“”Dulling my heritage? On the social media site X, Murray answered, “Do me a favor.
“Most individuals in my circumstances would give up and quit right away. However, I’m not most people, and my thought process is unique,” he continued.
“I refuse to give up. I’m going to keep pushing myself to give the best performances I know I’m capable of.”