Unfortunately, Andy Murray was unable to secure consecutive victories as he gracefully conceded to Ugo Humbert in the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Murray produced his best win for several months in the first round by seeing off Denis Shapovalov but fell to a 6-2, 6-4 loss against 18th-ranked Humbert.
Murray lost two consecutive serves in the first set and was not able to challenge Humbert’s serves, only winning seven return points throughout the match. The second set was slightly tighter, but Murray appeared frustrated as he tried to keep up with Humbert’s powerful shots. Humbert ultimately won in just 1.5 hours.
Since August, Murray has only won one match per tournament and there is ongoing discussion about when he will retire from playing. Following his victory over Shapovalov, the Scottish athlete spoke about doing his best in these final months. However, he recently suggested that he hopes to continue playing until the upcoming Olympics in the summer.
In the past, Murray mentioned that he has a timeline in mind for his retirement. During an interview on Radio 4’s Today programme, he shared that he plans to announce this information publicly at a later date. He went on to say, “When the appropriate moment arrives, I will likely make a statement before my final match and tournament. I am uncertain whether I will announce anything months beforehand.”
While Wimbledon appears the most logical venue for Murray to call time on his glittering career, the Scot is tempted by another crack at the Olympics in Paris this summer. Murray is the only tennis player to have won back-to-back singles gold medals, in London and Rio, and he said: “Hopefully I can get the chance to compete at another one.”
If the individual, who is currently 36 years old, does not meet the qualification requirements based on their ranking position – as they have dropped to #67 – they may be able to secure a place in the tournament as a former champion.
