Andy Murray could drop a surprise retirement announcement at any time

ATP Tour
Andy Murray talks to the media at Wimbledon

Andy Murray has intimated that he might not announce his retirement ahead of time.

The 35-year-old former World No 1 believes that he has had matches which he would have been happy to sign off on.

With that knowledge, Murray believes that he might be far happier to go out on a note that he is happy with rather than an end left to fate by a pre-announced decision.

Murray admitted that he would probably like to end his career at a tournament in the UK.

“It’s a difficult one,” Murray said after his exit from the Cincinnati Masters.

“When I had the injury problems a few years ago and didn’t know whether I was going to be able to play, I maybe always envisaged finishing my career in the UK or whatever.

“But when I played that match against [Roberto] Bautista Agut [in the first round of the 2019 Australian Open, losing in five sets], I said to my team, if that was it and I don’t get to play again, I was more than happy with that being my last match, because it was [an] amazing atmosphere, it was a great match, I fought right to the end until I could basically hardly walk at the end, and left everything out on the court.

“For me, it would have been fine if that was how it finished.

“There is part of it I think when you announce that you’re retiring that I would imagine psychologically it’s quite difficult, as well. There is a lot of pressure then, I think because you want to perform and because it’s the last couple of tournaments.

“Just the whole situation puts a lot of stress on the performance.

“So I don’t know whether I would announce something or whether I would just stop and that would be it. I don’t know.”

Murray has played 32 matches in 2022 as he treads the comeback trail after his well-documented injury battles.

While his 19-13 record isn’t much to write home about by his own high standards there was hardly any shame in the defeats he has suffered.

On grass, Murray lost to in-form Matteo Berrettini, and huge serving power players John Isner and Alexander Bublik.

The draws have not been kind to Murray as he was dumped out of the first three Masters tournaments early by big players.

Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic got the best of Murray with his triumph over Stefanos Tsitsipas in Stuttgart being his only win over a top 20 player so far this year.

Murray will enter the US Open and likely select events to complete the season.

He is unlikely to be in contention for the ATP Tour finals in Turin barring a run to a second US Open title.

Murray has repeatedly indicated that he will continue to play as long he feels that his game is progressing and he can hang in with the top players.

His most recent title came in Antwerp in 2019, but Murray has reached two tour finals in 2022 and has looked far better than he did in sporadic appearances in 2021.

Andy Murray

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