‘I am proud of putting myself in a position to compete with the top guys,’ says Andy Murray

Tennis News
Andy Murray talks to the media

He hasn’t had the results to back up his performances in recent months, but Andy Murray is pleased with the progress he is making.

The former world No 1 has won eight matches in seven tournaments since Wimbledon, but he failed to win more than three matches in a row at any of those events.

However, he has been able to give the top stars a run for their money as he took Stefanos Tsitsipas to five sets in the US Open first round while he also had his chances against Alexander Zverev in Indian Wells and against Diego Schwartzman in Antwerp.

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Murray is pleased with his efforts in recent months despite the lack of results.

“It has been better. From the grass season to the US Open, I played well,” the three-time Grand Slam winner said. “I played better tennis at the US Open. Since then, it has been consistently better each week.

“It has not been perfect, but most of the matches I have had chances and opportunities in, which certainly wasn’t the case in the grass season and some of the matches I played before the US Open. I have had some decent wins and some tight matches with some top players.”

Having undergone career-saving hip surgery in January 2019, many felt it was only a matter of time before he announced his retirement from professional tennis.

However, he has proven a lot of naysayers wrong.

“It has been amazing that I have been able to even get back and be playing,” Murray said. “Some of the results I have had, some will go ‘Oh he’s not winning enough against top players or he should be doing better’. But I shouldn’t be doing better than what I am with the situation with my body and what I have been through.

“I don’t think there are many players who would be able to compete with the top five players with a metal hip. I am proud of myself for putting myself in a position to compete with those guys. But ultimately if I want to get back to somewhere close to the level I was at before I need to be winning those matches.”

Having lost in the second round of the European Open against Schwartzman last week, Murray will be back in action on Monday at the Vienna Open when he takes on fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz in the first round.

Andy Murray

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