Andy Murray hints at not playing Australian Open again after 'disappointing' first-round exit in 2024

36-year-old Andy Murray said on Monday, January 15 that he might have played his last match at the Australian Open. Murray was disappointed after his first-round exit in men's singles in the season's first Grand Slam tournament as he described his emotions of having not given the crowd what they wanted from him.

Andy Murray, a 5-time finalist at the Australian Open, was outplayed by Tomas Martin Etcheverry, who delivered a decisive 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 victory over the British tennis star. The loss marked the second successive first-round defeat for Murray, who was ousted in the first round by Grigor Dimitrov in Brisbane International earlier in the month.

Murray said he was disappointed by the lack of fight from him in the first round, especially after having thrilled the Melbourne crowd last year. Despite the physical toll of a career-long battle with hip injuries, including surgeries and the resulting



osteoarthritis, Murray managed to reach the third round at Melbourne Park in 2023. His journey to the third round was marked by two grueling five-set victories, which included an epic comeback against Thanasi Kokkinakis.

"It's a definite possibility that will be the last time I play here. And yeah, I think probably because of how the match went & everything, I don't know," Murray told the press after losing to Etcheverry.

"Whilst you're playing the match, you're trying to control your emotions, focus on the points & everything. When you're one point away from the end, you're like, I can't believe this is over so quickly, and like this.

"Yeah, 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 and all of that stuff. Tough, tough way to finish," he added.