Jim Courier backs Andy Murray after Mats Wilander flak: ‘It is up to Andy as to how long he wants to play’

French Open
Andy Murray between points

Jim Courier is the latest to come to the defence of Andy Murray after Mats Wilander questioned why the Scot is still battling on despite his struggles.

Three-time Grand Slam winner Murray made a disappointing first-round exit from the French Open as he went down in straight sets against fellow major winner Stan Wawrinka.

Former world No 1 Wilander did not hold back in his criticism after the match, saying: “I worry about Andy Murray. I would love to hear him say why he is out there, giving us a false sense of hope that he is going to come back one day.”

He added: “I think Andy Murray needs to stop thinking of himself and start thinking about who he was. Does he have a right to be out there taking wildcards from the young players?”

Two of Murray’s former coaches Alex Corretja and Dani Vallverdu also insisted the 33-year-old does not need to rush into a decision over his future.

Andy Murray’s former coaches hit back at Mats Wilander after he urges the Scot to consider his future

Four-time Grand Slam winner Courier insists Murray should be allowed to end his career on his terms.

“Mats is a friend of mine and I respect his opinion greatly, [but]… Andy has every right to take wildcards if they are offered, and tournaments have every right to give them to him if they want to. It is up to Andy as to how long he wants to play,” he told ITV.

“This is all about him having the power to decide he will end his career on his terms rather than his hip deciding. And it is a remarkable story, that the doctors have given him this chance to come back. He is never going to move the way he did – he knows that.

“He says he doesn’t want to win outside of his game style but, frankly, there are going to be matches like yesterday where, if he wants to be competitive, he is going to have to hit the ball bigger, he is going to have to play differently. But there are other matches where he can use his guile and his hands and his wonderful imagination to win as well.”

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Andy Murray Jim Courier Mats Wilander

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