Former world No. 1, Andy Murray, has openly admitted to a decline in his enjoyment of tennis over the past half-year, which he revealed following his devastating loss to Alex de Minaur at the Paris Masters. The three-time Grand Slam champion appeared to be on the cusp of victory, holding a commanding lead of two breaks in the third set and a 5-2 advantage with a match point. However, de Minaur mounted a remarkable comeback, ultimately winning 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-5 in their first-round encounter in Paris.
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This recent setback echoed an earlier meeting a month ago in Beijing when de Minaur, coming from a 2-5 deficit in the third set, saved three match points to claim victory against Murray with a scoreline of 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (6). With this latest triumph, the 24-year-old de Minaur extended his unbeaten record to 6-0 against Murray. Expressing his frustration over his performance, Murray stated, “I don’t feel like I played particularly well today, and I’m still in a three-set match with a player ranked 13th in the world. It’s frustrating. I’m not currently finding much enjoyment in terms of how I feel on the court and my performance. The last five to six months haven’t been very enjoyable, which adds to the difficulty. So, I need to rediscover some of that enjoyment because playing a match like that doesn’t leave much room for positivity.”
Murray’s declining passion for the game has been reflected in his recent results. Despite a strong start to the grass season with consecutive Challenger titles, his hopes for Wimbledon were dashed when he suffered early exits at Queen’s and Wimbledon, falling in the first and second rounds, respectively. Following this, his form suffered a decline, with disappointing performances during the North American hard court swing and a 2-5 record since the start of the indoor season. Murray lamented, “When I play a good point, I’m not really getting behind myself, and in the crucial moments, that fighting spirit, which has always been a significant part of my game, seems to be lacking. What transpired today is a rare occurrence in my career. However, these situations have arisen quite frequently this year, and that’s not who I truly am. It’s simply not enjoyable.”
Despite these challenges, Murray’s season is far from over, as he is set to represent Great Britain at the Davis Cup Finals in November.
