By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday July 2, 2021
Andy Murray has a lot of mixed emotions when it comes to his third-round performance at Wimbledon. The Scot, speaking to reporters after falling to Denis Shapovalov, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 on Centre Court on Friday, admits he has a long way to go and yet, at the same time—he has come a long way.
“This week has been really good in some ways, but it's been frustrating too,” Murray said. “I played two long matches, and it's really significantly more than anything I have done in the last six months really.”
Murray, who reached the third round at a major for the first time since 2017, hinted that he was not feeling anywhere near fresh on Friday, and the score and tone of his match against Shapovalov accurately tells the story of his state of readiness.
Murray says he didn’t practice at all on Thursday, but after a slow start against Shapovalov, he was second-guessing that decision.
“If my game is not quite spot-on physically, I'm not perfect, or physically, like, really fresh, it's going to be hard for me,” he said. “It's extremely frustrating, because I feel like I put a lot of work into getting to this point, and then obviously to lose like that is tough.
“You know, if I'm going to put that much effort in, I want to be performing better than what I did here. Even though there were some great moments.”
The Positives: The Body Held Up
Murray lamented the fact that he wasn’t able to close either of his first two matches—against Nikoloz Basilashvili in round one and Oscar Otte in round two—without complications. He said that set him back on Friday for sure.
“It was positive that I got through the event without getting injuried,” he said, adding: “I guess, I feel like I can do better tennis-wise. I feel like I can play better and close matches out better. But to do that, I need time on the match court and I need more time on the practice court, and I've had neither in the last few months.”
The Verdict: Wondering If It Is Worth It
At the conclusion of his press conference, Murray hinted that he would need to see better results and better tennis at some point, or it could be his time to think about his next career. Whether he is seriously contemplating retirement or simply challenging himself is difficult to tell.
For now, all we can do is read the tea leaves and relish in the emotional roller coaster that the two-time Wimbledon champion took us on this week.
“There is a part of me that feels a bit like I have put in so much work the last three months and, you know, ultimately didn't play how I would want and expect, and it's like is it worth it?” he said. “Is all of that training and everything that you're doing in the gym, you know, unless you're able to like practice and, you know, improve your game and get matches and continue, get, you know, a run of tournaments, like, is it worth all of the work that you're doing?
“There is part of me that feels like, yes, it is, because I had, you know, great memories and stuff from this event and playing in some brilliant atmosphere. But then, also, I finished the match tonight and I'm saying to my team, I'm like, That's just—yeah, I'm just not happy with how I played.”