Andy Murray admits ‘another injury could be the end’

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End of the road for Andy Murray at Wimbledon?

Andy Murray is hopeful that he hasn’t played his last match at Wimbledon, but he admits “you can’t predict” what the future holds in terms of injuries.

Two-time champion Murray played in his 15th Wimbledon edition this year and he had high hopes of a deep run with some even suggesting he could reach the latter stages of the tournament. However, he fell in the second round as he lost a tight five-setter against fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.

By the time the grass-court Grand Slam comes around again, the former world No 1 will be 37 and many pundits have questioned whether or not he will return to SW19 next year.

However, there is no doubt in Murray’s mind that he will be back if he is fit and healthy.

“I don’t want to have played my last match at Wimbledon,” he admitted in The Times. “I’m still planning on continuing. But you never know with my age. Another injury could be the end. You can’t predict it.”

Many players struggle when it comes to life after tennis as they find it difficult to find purpose again, especially for those who have been on the ATP Tour for as long as Murray.

The 36-year-old started his professional career in 2005 and 18 years later he is still going strong, although he has had some extended breaks from the game after undergoing hip replacement surgery.

The lengthy time on the sidelines gave him a glimpse into future.

He added: “I’m not worried about what I’ll do when I finish playing. Before I had surgery, I had to accept that I might not play again. So I went through that process mentally and although it was hard, I accepted it.

“The good thing about the six months of rehab after the operation was I got to feel what being a retired tennis player would be like. I spent time at home with my family, played lots of golf. I really, really enjoyed it — I’ve got lots of things to look forward to.”

Murray also opened up about how tough it was to adapt to life as a professional player at such a young age.

He was often described as “moody”, but he says he was simply going through the trials and tribulations that every teenager has to go through.

“I found the whole experience of my life changing overnight at 18 years old very difficult,” he said.

“Everyone makes lots of mistakes when they’re a teenager. For most of the population, that doesn’t happen in front of millions of people. All the attention was not something I was very well prepared for.

“I wasn’t too bothered about being portrayed as ‘moody’; some of that would have been fair and justified.”

READ MORE: Andy Murray ‘surprised’ he can still compete with the best players

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