Andy Murray acknowledged that he is not finding satisfaction in his tennis game, following yet another disappointing loss to Alex de Minaur in the opening round of the Paris Masters.
Murray had been defeated in all five previous encounters with the Australian player, with three of those losses occurring this season. In their most recent match in Beijing, the Briton was unable to capitalize on three match points.
The previous top-ranked player appeared to be on track to break that streak on Monday, bouncing back from a loss in the first set tie-breaker to take a 5-2 lead in the final set.
Despite having a match point in the second set, Murray was unable to win either of his next two service games. After more than three hours of play, the world No 13 emerged victorious with a 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-5 score.
Murray became very angry during the last set, knocking over his drinks and towel and slamming his racket on the ground after the final point.
The recent stretch of unsatisfactory performance has caused the 36-year-old, who has won Wimbledon twice, to wonder what more he must do to return to a winning streak.
“At the moment, I’m not finding much pleasure in terms of my on-court performance and overall feeling,” Murray expressed. “The past half year hasn’t been too enjoyable, so I need to rediscover that enjoyment in order to improve my mindset during matches. Right now, there isn’t much positivity to take away from my playing.”
I don’t let my emotions get the best of me when I make a strong play. But, when it matters most, my determination and competitive spirit have always been integral to my performance.
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Katie Boulter, the girlfriend of De Minaur, was also not pleased with the match. The top-ranked British player expressed her frustration on X (formerly known as Twitter), stating “I’ve had my fill of Alex and Andy for a lifetime. No more, thank you.”
Murray, who has registered for the upcoming ATP 250 tournament in Metz, shared that he will take some time to contemplate participating in the Davis Cup for Great Britain at the end of November. He expressed, “If I choose to continue, I will require a significant amount of effort. It won’t be a quick fix with just a few weeks of training. It will require consistent and dedicated work to give myself a chance.”
