“I Think I Don’t Have Too Much Time Left”: Andy Murray Makes a Hint About Retirement

Andy Murray won his first match in Dubai on Monday, raising the possibility that he would retire in the next “few months.”

After falling down early in the match, the former world number one came back to defeat Denis Shapovalov 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, and advance to the next round.

The 36-year-old told the BBC in December of last year that 2024 may be his last year competing on the ATP Tour. Last week, he ended a six-match losing run in Doha before falling to Czech youngster Jakub Mensik.

Murray said on Monday, “I’ll do the best I can these last few months, but I probably don’t have too long left.”

“I still like playing the game and competing. Naturally, keeping your physique in shape and competitive with the younger males becomes more difficult as you age.

During his brutal defeat to Mensik last week, Murray seemed to declare to his player’s box, “This game is not for me anymore,” but he downplayed such remarks.

“It’s not always rational, but sometimes people read a lot into what I say on the court,” he said. “Yet, I get asked about it all the time by everyone.”

With his 500th victory on hard courts, Murray joined the exclusive group of tennis players that also includes Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic.

Yes, 500 victories on hard courts isn’t terrible. For me, hard courts have been an excellent surface throughout the years. I’m rather pleased with it.

Murray found it difficult to handle former top-10 player Shapovalov’s strong first-set performance. Shapovalov is trying to find his best form after missing the conclusion of the previous season due to injury.

However, the three-time Grand Slam winner prevailed in a tie-break in the second set before winning the final match with ease in a double-break.

In the round of sixteen, Murray will play French fifth seed Ugo Humbert or fellow seasoned player Gael Monfils.

Since Daniil Medvedev defeated him in the final in Qatar more over a year ago, the British player has not advanced to the quarterfinals of an ATP tournament.

Murray fell to 67th position in the ATP rankings earlier on Monday, a 17-place decline.