Andy Murray's winless start to 2024 prompted a call to self-assess the risk of "damaging" his legacy, according to a recent article by a BBC journalist.
Murray fell to a shock loss at the hands of Benoite Paire in the first round of the Montpellier Open this week. It extended his losing sequence to five straight matches dating back to last year's Swiss Indoors in Basel.
Additionally, he has recorded just two wins on the ATP Tour since the start of September 2023 and hasn't won back-to-back matches since the Canadian Open last August. Despite losing the opening two matches of the new season, Murray's fans were still confident of a turnaround.
The saving grace in his two defeats Down Under was that he lost to eventual champion Grigor Dimitrov in Brisbane (Murray was the only player to take a set from the Bulgarian) and was knocked out by a seeded player at the 2024 Australian Open (Tomas Martin Etcheverry).
But losing to Paire was unfathomable. The Frenchman had not won a match on tour in 18 months, but even he felt that Murray was going through a crisis of confidence on the court. Resilience is not Paire's strongest attribute, but he fought back from a set down to win.
Following that match, an article published by the BBC questioned Murray's choice to prolong his tennis career when his legacy was already secured. The same article also points out that Murray's heroic commitment to play might damage his legacy.
The Scotsman took to X to hit back at the article's writer. Murray acknowledged that he was in a "terrible moment" in light of his results but stated that he was not a quitter. The 36-year-old was conspicuously angry and vowed to "fight" and work" to produce consistent performances that have shaped his career.
"Tarnishing my legacy? Do me a favour. I’m in a terrible moment right now I’ll give you that. Most people would quit and give up in my situation right now. But I’m not most people and my mind works differently. I won’t quit. I will keep fighting and working to produce the performances I know I’m capable of."
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