Andy Murray reveals his ‘perfect ending’ as he highlights great memories from French Open

Shahida Jacobs 27 May 2024 9:23 AM

Andy Murray waves to spectators after his match

Andy Murray’s Paris au revoir didn’t go according to plan in the singles of the French Open, but the former world No 1 admits he still dreams of going out on a high.

Having confirmed that he “doesn’t plan on playing much past this summer”, Murray was hoping for some joy at Roland Garros but it wasn’t to be as he went down in straight sets against Stan Wawrinka in the first round.

The 37-year-old will get more opportunities later in the year, especially during the grass-court season, as he admitted ending on a winning note would be “perfect”.

“There has been a lot of talk about the right, or best, ways to go out from playing tennis. There is no perfect ending in most scenarios,” the three-time Grand Slam winner told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“I’d like to go out with winning a match or winning a tournament but it doesn’t really happen that way for most players.”

READ MORE: Andy Murray could ‘play on’ despite French Open hammering and apparent farewell

Although he didn’t get the perfect farewell, Murray’s performances at the French Open over the years is something that many players can only dream about.

He didn’t win a title, but finished runner-up to Novak Djokovic in 2016 and also came unstuck against 14-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal a couple of times.

“I did really well here over the years,” he said. “You know, a lot of results and stuff, I think the issue for me is that when you compare it to what Rafa or Novak achieved in the same time, it obviously is minuscule in comparison.

“But most players would sign up for the results I’ve had here. I played a final, I think four semis and made the quarters a couple of times as well. I lost in the semis to Novak in five, Stan in five, and twice to Rafa. Obviously no shame in that.

“In a different time maybe the results would have been a bit different. But I’m proud of the results that I had here. I had great memories.

“It was not an easy surface for me. But I always showed up and, you know, put in some strong performances, considering. And yeah, it was a good run here over the years.”

But his 2024 Roland Garros journey is not over as he has signed up for the doubles with fellow Briton Dan Evans.

“Physically tennis is not easy for me nowadays,” he said. “It’s hard and clay has always been a surface that since the very beginning of my career I’ve had back issues on.

“It had been a bit of a struggle in the training and in the build-up, but I felt pretty good going into the match tonight, considering. Hopefully I’ll be fine for the doubles.”