Andy Murray makes ‘bizarre feeling’ admission and explains source of his frustration

Andy Murray has revealed he experienced a “bizarre feeling” during his first round defeat at the 2024 Australian Open as he “wasn’t trying to figure out a solution to try to change the match.”

The former world No 1 feels he can still play “good tennis” but is unsure why he is unable to produce it in matches and expressed the difficulty of falling short of his previous heights.

Murray was defeated in straight sets by world No 32 Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the opening round of the 2024 Australian Open on Monday.

The world No 44 has not made it past the third round of a Grand Slam in the 11 majors he has played since undergoing hip resurfacing surgery. The 36-year-old has lost seven of the last eight matches he has contested at ATP Tour level.

In an interview with Laura Robson for Eurosport, Murray reflected on his display and suggested focusing on trying to stay calm on court may have hindered him.

“I wasn’t necessarily feeling like I was going to win the tournament but I thought I was going to perform better than that. Disappointed that it’s over so quickly and it was just a very flat performance,” the Brit said.

“It’s normal when you get close to the end of your career that when you get out there, you put a bit of pressure on yourself. I was also conscious of trying to use my energy in a better way, and trying not to get too frustrated on the court. The combination of those things didn’t help.

“I didn’t deal with the situation well and when the result wasn’t going my way, I wasn’t trying to figure out a solution to try to change the match, I was just trying to stay calm and [it was] a bizarre feeling on the court.”

The three-time Grand Slam champion divulged he had not decided on his next move when asked by Robson if he intended to get back on the practice court quickly.

“I don’t know. I don’t feel physically exhausted, unlike last year where I was completely spent, and going home I was like, ‘I want a week off’. Right now, I don’t feel that tired, I feel fresh and I don’t like feeling like that when you finish a tournament, it’s not a nice way to be going home,” Murray added.

“I’m entered in a tournament the week after the Australian Open in France, and I’ll have a chat to my team and my family in the next few days and see where I go from here.

“At times in the last year, I’ve struggled and not really enjoyed it that much, and I still feel like I can play good tennis but it’s not happening on the match court and that’s where it matters.”

In his press conference, Murray spoke of how not being able to return to his previous best level since his hip injury has made his comeback difficult.

“For me this time, yeah, well, it’s never really come back, so it’s difficult when you played at the top of the game, I think, to change your perspective on how you should be performing and how you should be doing,” the two-time Olympic champion said.

“I would have the highest expectations, and a lot of the players coming back, like [Naomi] Osakas, and [Caroline] Wozniackis, [Angelique] Kerbers, Rafa [Nadal], all of them have played right at the top of the game. It’s difficult if you come back and you’re not at that same level. It’s hard.”

READ MORE: Andy Murray makes big statement on his tennis future after crushing Australian Open loss