Andy Murray reveals he nearly quit tennis for good last summer

Andy Murray has revealed he was close to calling time on his career once and for all last summer, after fearing his rebuilt hip would not allow him to return to the top of the game.
Speaking to Tennis365 at the launch of his new Amazon Prime documentary ‘Resurfacing’, the two-time Wimbledon champion admitted he questioned whether the operation he undertook last January would allow him to play the game at the top level, before he started to erase his own doubts with some encouraging performances in tournaments in Asia in September and October.
Raw. Emotional. Inspiring.
It’s @andy_murray like you’ve never seen him before.
Resurfacing. Coming to #PrimeVideo on Friday 29 November. pic.twitter.com/cVWVRSE9DD
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) November 25, 2019
He then defied his own doubts with a sensational victory in the ATP event in Antwerp last month, with the question marks he had earlier this year now replaced by optimism heading into 2020.
“Just six to eight weeks before that tournament, I was having conversations with my team and questioning whether I could carry on,” said Murray.
“I didn’t know if I still wanted to do this. I wasn’t sure if I could keep going because I just didn’t know if I could get back to the level I needed to and there was no point in me being in tournaments if I wasn’t competitive.
“The Asian tournaments were where it started to happen for me. I was having conversations with my team three days before we went out there questioning whether I could do it.
“I was practicing and it was ‘nah, this isn’t working’. I said I’m giving this until the end of the year and if I’m not playing better and winning matches, I’m not going to carry on.
“I was putting the effort in, I was doing everything I needed to do, but it felt like I was a long way from where I needed to be. It felt like I was a lot further away from where I needed to be, even though people in my team were saying how close I was to turning these matches around and winning.
“Then in Asia I started to play a few more matches, things started happening and I gained more confidence in my hip and stopping thinking about it in matches, which was quite a big step. After an operation like that, you think about it every time you play at the start, but that’s not in my mind now and you could see that in Antwerp.
“In terms of big titles, I have won events that were much bigger than that, but it terms of what it took to get to that events and lift the trophy, that was the hardest tournament I’ve ever won. After everything that went on, I never expected to do that so soon.”
Read more from our chat with Andy Murray over the course of this week as he reveals his ambitions for 2020 and why he has opened his doors for a compelling new Amazon Prime documentary ‘Andy Murray: Resurfacing’.
Andy Murray: Resurfacing, previews on Amazon Prime on Friday, November 29th.
Follow Kevin Palmer on Twitter @RealKevinPalmer
Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @T365Official.
Latest
-
Wimbledon
Heather Watson gets the job done after eight minutes of play on Thursday
Heather Watson moves along after victory over Wang Qiang.
-
Wimbledon
Alastair Gray’s Wimbledon singles journey ended by Taylor Fritz in the second round
The Twickenham ace battled well against the world No 14.
-
Wimbledon
Sarah Beth Grey eyes Wimbledon singles debut after making her return just months after heart surgery
Grey went under the knife after a routine check-up picked up an irregular heartbeat.
-
Wimbledon
Wimbledon attendance figures: Fewer bums on seats when compared to 2019
Analysis shows the lowest cumulative attendance since 2016.
-
Wimbledon
Wimbledon hit by third Covid-19 withdrawal in men’s singles draw
The 17th seed revealed he has mild symptoms.
-
Wimbledon
Tamara Korpatsch deletes post criticising Harmony Tan after clear-the-air talks
All is well that ends well between Tamara Korpatsch and Harmony Tan.
-
Wimbledon
Andy Murray’s greatest hits not enough to stop John Isner’s heavy metal music at Wimbledon
Andy Murray’s exit from Wimbledon was rough for those watching, writes Tim Ellis.
-
Wimbledon
Rafael Nadal closer to Novak Djokovic on grass than on hard courts – says his coach
Rafael Nadal has a better chance to beat Novak Djokovic on grass than on a hard court.
-
Live Tennis
Wimbledon day four: Follow the action from SW19 with Tennis365’s live scores and results centre here…
Catch the action from Wimbledon with our live scores and results centre…
-
Wimbledon
Emma Raducanu shrugs off pressure talk after Wimbledon exit: ‘I’m still 19. It’s a joke. I literally won a Slam’
Emma Raducanu bats away pressure talk.