Andy Murray admitted that he is ‘looking forward to the end’ of his career after suffering a marathon third round loss at the Miami Open on Sunday.
The former world No.1 displayed some fierce resistance against Czech Republic’s Tomas Machac before going out 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(5), after more than three hours of play. It was a frustrating encounter for Murray, who during the match complained to the umpire about the crowd moving during points. After taking the opening set, the Brit wasn’t broken until the very end of the second when down 5-6.
The drama continued into the decider with Murray clawing his way back from a 2-5 deficit to draw level before disaster struck. After landing awkwardly on his left ankle, he immediately pulled up in pain and subsequently took a medical time-out. Despite having his ankle taped, Murray returned to action but was hampered by the issue as he got ousted in the tiebreaker by a determined Machac who also knocked Andrey Rublev out of the tournament last week.
Murray’s roller-coaster defeat brings to an end his career at the Miami Open. He has previously spoken about his intention to step away from the sport in the coming months but has yet to say which tournament will be his last. He is a two-time champion at the Masters 1000 event and also reached the final on two other occasions.
“I wasn’t thinking about all the matches I played just more that that’s the last match that I am going play here which is sad because I love it here,” Murray said afterwards. “I’ve spent so much of my tennis career here and I would have liked it to have gone on a little bit longer.
“This tournament in particularly for me is an important one so it was a bit more emotional leaving the court today than it might be at some of the other events.”
“I am looking forward to the end now, give my best the next few months and get to be at home with my family.”
There are plenty of positives for Murray to take away from his latest tournament. In Miami, he beat former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini and 29th seed Tomás Martín Etcheverry. It is the first time he has achieved back-to-back wins on the Tour since August.
“It was pretty positive,” Murray reflected.
“There was some good signs in my game, definitely an improvement on the last few tournaments.
“Not perfect but considering everything and to be winning matches against the players I did and pushing Tomas like I did today, yeah I am proud of myself.
“To still be able to compete with these guys is a credit to myself and the work I have done and effort I have put into this to keep myself in this position.”
Murray’s focus will now turn to the upcoming clay swing. Meanwhile, Machac will next play Matteo Arnaldi in Miami.
