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Former World No. 1 Andy Murray has stated that he's not about to quit following his winless start to the year.
The 36-year-old underwent a potentially career-ending hip surgery in 2018. A year later, he had a hip-resurfacing surgery, as his pain persisted following his first surgery.
While Murray hasn't been the same player he was when he was at the top of the rankings in 2016, the Brit has made a successful comeback to the game. He had one of his most successful seasons in 2023 after his surgery, winning multiple Challenger titles and reaching the Doha final, where he lost to Daniil Medvedev.
However, Murray has made a wretched start to his 2024 season. His defeat to Tomas Machac in the Marseille opening round on Tuesday (February 6) marked his fourth loss in as many matches in 2024.
Previously, he also stumbled in the opening rounds at Brisbane (against eventual winner Grigor Dimitrov), the Australian Open (against Tomas Martin Etcheverry), and Montpellier (against Benoit Paire) last week.
Having won just two of 11 sets in 2024, Murray is not about to throw in the towel, saying that it would be the 'easiest' thing to do following his twin hip surgeries.
"The easiest thing for me would have been to leave my career," said Murray (as per ESPN via L'Equipe). "But I continue because I love the game, I love training. At the moment, without a doubt, it is not easy to compete.
He, however, added that losses can erode confidence despite having won three Grand Slam singles titles, among other laurels.
"But what is happening now does not affect my career. No series of defeats will change what I achieved when I was fit and with two hips. But when you can't win, you also lose confidence," Murray stated.
It's undoubtedly Andy Murray's worst start to a season in his near two-decade-long illustrious career.
"Maybe I have to play in Challengers" - Andy Murray
Andy Murray rues the fact that he hasn't been able to replicate his level of tennis in training on the court.
The Brit knows that the performances in competitions are what counts, and he's prepared to return to the Challengers again to rediscover his game. Murray won two titles on the Challenger Tour last year.
"What happens in training doesn't always translate into the match," he said in the aforementioned interview.
"In 2016, when I finished No. 1 in the world, my coach told me that I had won two or three training sets throughout the year. This year, I won almost all of them, and I can't win a single game. You have to perform in competition. That's the only thing that counts. Maybe I have to play in Challengers," Murray added.
Following two losses to end 2023, the World No. 49 is riding a six-match losing streak.
