By Tony Fairbairn
- Tomas Martin Etcheverry [30] def Andy Murray 6-4 6-2 6-2
- Andy Murray has said that it is a ‘possibility’ that this is his final Australian Open and described his performance as ‘flat’.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Andy Murray has admitted that this could be his final Australian Open of his career after a one-sided defeat to 30th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
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Another disappointing Grand Slam defeat for Andy Murray as the five-time finalist fell to a straight sets defeat to Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
The former world number one played a good level in the opening set as he bounced back from an early break down to go toe-to-toe with the Argentinian.
There were long rallies and creative patterns of play as the 30th seed would edge out the 61 minute set with a break in the seventh game.
After the opening set it was a lacklustre performance from Murray as he produced too many unforced errors on the forehand and lacked energy throughout the contest.
Normally in matches like these in the past Murray would get the crowd involved in the match but there was no sign of the Brit doing that here as he went through the motions.
Eventually after two hours and 24 minutes, Martin Etcheverry put Murray out of his misery as the Argentinian advance to the second round.
It was another disappointing Grand Slam result which leaves Murray considering where he goes next.
Before the Brit was asked about his future, the former finalist talked about his performance which he described as ‘flat’.
“It was really just a flat performance,” Murray told the ATP website.
“I don’t know exactly why that was the case because I’ve been feeling good going in. Played pretty well in Brisbane. Practised really well the last 10 days or so… Today the crowd all showed up again and gave me brilliant support. I didn’t give enough. I felt like I didn’t give enough back and I’m disappointed with that because they have helped me a lot over the years in matches here.”
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Last Australian Open ‘a definite possibility’ for Murray
Before Murray left the KIA Arena, the Brit took an emotional look at the court and waved at the crowd longer than he usually does.
Many times there has been speculation about Murray’s potential retirement but possibly this was his biggest hint yet that a decision was nearing closer.
In his press conference after the match Murray confirmed that there’s ‘a definite possibility’ that this could have been his last match at Melbourne Park.
“It’s a definite possibility that will be the last time I play here,” Murray told the ATP website.
“In comparison to the matches that I played here last year, it’s the complete opposite feeling walking off the court. Yeah, wish I involved the crowd more. Just disappointed with the way I played… a tough, tough way to finish…
“I have an idea of when I would probably like to finish playing. So much of that depends on how you’re playing. The time frame for that narrows when you play and have results like today.”
It’s obviously a decision that has been on Murray’s mind as his motivation for the sport has been inconsistent with the results at Grand Slam level not meeting his ambition.
Now Murray has revealed that he has spoken to his team and family about retirement but no definitive decisions have been made yet.
“I’ve spoken to them about it,” Murray explained to the ATP website.
“I’ve spoken to my family about it. I’ve spoken to my team about it. They’re very aware of how I feel about things, where I would like to finish playing, when that would be. I haven’t made any definite decisions on that. It’s obviously something that I need to think about and see exactly when that is.”
Although Murray’s long-term plans haven’t been revealed yet it would seem that a retirement this year would look likely at this point.
However Murray won’t be giving up just yet as he looks to continue to enjoy his tennis and will be looking to continue to move his ranking in the right direction ahead of Wimbledon.
As things stand, Murray’s next tournament will be the ATP 250 event in Montpellier which starts on the 29th of January.
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