Andy Murray has lost seven of his last eight matches, but the former No.1 still appears to have belief and revealed that he is ‘not going to stop’.

Murray has been on the wrong side of the result in his last four matches, with the most recent coming in the first round in Marseille to Tomas Machac.

And the 36-year-old has admitted that it is nothing like he has ever experienced before, “Tennis-wise it hasn’t been a great start to the year. I’ve never experienced a period like this as a professional. It’s been difficult, a new experience for me (which) is not the nicest, but good to experience new things and try and learn from them.

“When I do get myself out of it and start to feel better, hopefully I’ll be stronger for it, but it’s been hard. I’ve not been playing well and winning as many matches as I would like, so I’m hoping I can turn it around here.”

The three-time major winner was asked about whether he thought his recent drop in form was due to a physical or mental barrier, “It’s probably a combination of the two. Physically I’m not expecting to feel how I did when I was 20, so it’s hard when you get to your mid to late 30s to stay at the level required to beat the best players. Certainly, tennis-wise I know I can play a lot better than I have been.”

Murray also revealed that he has been practicing well, which is not something that the Brit has been used to, “I’ve never really experienced playing really well in practice and not being able to translate it to a match court before, it was always the opposite for me.

“I was never a great practice player, I didn’t use to win practice matches, exhibition matches, it’s been the complete opposite for me recently. I know there’s better tennis in me than I’m showing just now, but I’m hoping I can turn it around.”

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… https://t.co/nF0var6IfL

— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) January 30, 2024

Despite the recent drop in form, the world No.50 has hit back at critics who have suggested he should consider retiring, “When I was in my early 20’s, I would have mainly young fans that would come up to you and ask for autographs, now I get more older people, whose bodies are falling apart.

“They are kind of like ‘it’s great that you keep going it’s inspired me to get out and keep training’, so the demographic has changed a little bit.”

He added, “But it’s nice, I can do whatever I want. I don’t have to do what fans, journalists or anyone is telling me to do. Qualifying for all these tournaments on my right, on my ranking and all the matches that I’ve won, I want to keep playing just now, so I’m not going to stop.”

"I'm not going to stop!" ????

Andy Murray says he has more good Tennis inside of him ???? pic.twitter.com/sN5PJekMtW

— Sky Sports Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) February 17, 2024

Murray will look to return to form at the Qatar Open in Doha next week, where he is defending runner-up points from last year, with the former two-time champion beginning his campaign against a qualifier.

Inside the baseline…

Andy Murray has never been one to hold back on his opinions, which has been clear in recent weeks with his defiance against those trying to end his career for him. Hopefully Murray can have a deep run in Doha to stop the run of defeats, which has been helped by a promising draw against a qualifier, but that is no guarantee.

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Tennis is such a brilliantly crazy spectacle that many claim you couldn’t write it, but have we all been deceived? Well, according to a brilliant spoof video starring Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, we have.

The video, created by the ATP Tour, claims players are all portrayed by actors who receive a script at the start of every year to act out.

In it, your favourite stars of men’s tennis, including Dominic Thiem, Andrey Rublev and Gael Monfils, are shown discussing the production of the spoof TV series ‘The Tour’ not as themselves, but the fictional actors who play them. They have even gone as far as creating Instagram profiles for the supposed actors.

“I’ve been part of this show for 16, 17 years, or ATP seasons, as we call them,” Novak Djokovic – or actor Bert Critchley if you prefer – says.

“Something that I’m really trying to evoke with this Novak character is not just the performance and the achievements, but a bit more of an essence. A bit more of a personality.

“I try to have people relate to him. I want to bring truth to Novak. What is he thinking? What is he feeling? What would motivate him if he was a real person? It’s not easy but it works.”

Naturally, Andy Murray wouldn’t allow this kind of comic caper to sneak by without him adding his own deadpan dry humour to it.

Under the name Fraser McKnight, Murray delights in the production values that have apparently fooled so many.

“We usually get our storylines at the start of the year and we just try to make everything look natural,” ‘McKnight’ said.

“Let’s face it, people are stupid, so they’ll buy anything. We just try to make everything look real and the viewers seem to love it.”

Other highlights include Thiem and Rublev recording their distinctive on-court noises in a sound studio, as well as Gael Monfils – well, Peter McArthur – bumbling his way around corners and through corridors due to having two left feel and zero coordination in real life.

The video is brilliantly crafted and creative, and the tennis players certainly deliver in front of the camera.

It’s also great to see a sport that is often unfairly accused of taking itself too seriously show some genuine humour.

You can watch it for yourself below.

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Andy Murray has suffered yet another defeat, being beaten in the first round in Marseille to Czech player Tomas Machac. 

Murray was beaten, 5-7 4-6, on the indoor hard courts in southern France, in the former No.1’s sixth consecutive defeat that dates back to October.

The 36-year-old last won on the ATP Tour against Yannick Hanfmann in Basel, with nine defeats in his last 10 competitive matches.

However, Murray appears to believe that his successful training sessions will come to fruition in time, “The only way to find solutions to win matches. It can also be played out in training, working on your game and sensations. But what happens in training doesn’t always translate into a match.

“In 2016, when I finished world number 1, my coach told me that I had maybe won two or three training sets during the whole year… This year, I won almost all of them and I can’t win a single match! You have to perform in competition, that’s the only thing that counts.”

Murray has suggested that he may drop down to ATP Challenger level, something that he did last year and resulted in winning titles in Aix en Provence, Nottingham and Surbiton.

And he does not seem to be considering retirement just yet, “Maybe I will have to play in Challengers. The easiest thing for me would have been to leave my career. But I continue because I love the game, I love to train.”

The world No.49 continued, “At the moment, without a doubt, it is not easy to compete. But what is happening now does not affect my career. No number of defeats will change what I achieved when I was in shape and with two hips. But when you can’t win, you also lose confidence. I’ve never experienced that in my career.

“In Beijing and Bercy last year, I lost two matches against [Alex] de Minaur while serving for the match, with match points. This happened over the last three months. It only happens very rarely to lose in these conditions. But he is top 10 and I lost narrowly, like against [Stefanos] Tsitsipas or [Tommy] Paul. I can be competitive.”

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… https://t.co/nF0var6IfL

— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) January 30, 2024

Murray is next scheduled to compete in the Middle East at tournaments in Doha and Dubai, having to defend runner-up points at the former event.

Inside the baseline…

It is a tough period in Andy Murray’s career, but after all his fitness woes this is far from the lowest point in the former No.1’s tenure as a professional tennis player. The thing that Murray needs to and seems to be taking is that he is rarely brushed aside by any opponents, but just seems to be lacking that cutting edge at the moment. Dropping down to the Challenger scene will probably be the best idea following Indian Wells and Miami, especially as the clay court season will not be a likely place for him to begin picking up wins on the main tour.

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It is set to be a stacked week on the tennis tour, with a total of five events, featuring some of the biggest stars at the Abu Dhabi Open, Open 13 Provence and more!

And we, at Tennishead, have all the information on how you can watch the likes of Naomi Osaka, Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu:

How can you watch the Abu Dhabi Open (WTA 500)?

The stand out event from the week is in the Middle East, with nine of the top 20 ranked WTA players competing at the third Abu Dhabi Open.

Elena Rybakina is the top seed and could face a blockbuster second round match with former No.1 Naomi Osaka, who received a wildcard for the event.

Osaka is also set to compete in her first doubles match in six years, alongside three-time Grand Slam singles finalist Ons Jabeur.

Enter Main Draw Doubles wild card #OnSaka ????

For the first time ever @NaomiOsaka and @Ons_Jabeur are teaming up! They will compete in the doubles tournament at the #MubadalaAbuDhabiOpen.#Mubadala #InAbuDhabi #AbuDhabiSC #OnsJabeur #NaomiOsaka #WTA pic.twitter.com/lgkeWJuRxa

— Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open (@MubadalaADOpen) January 29, 2024

Raducanu is one of the other players to be awarded a wildcard, as she looks to continue her return after undergoing three surgeries.

You can watch the Abu Dhabi Open on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland or on Tennis Channel in the United States of America.

For more information on how to watch the stacked tournament in your location, visit the official WTA website here.

READ NEXT – Abu Dhabi Open 2024 Preview: When is it, who is playing and what is the prize money?

How can you watch the Open 13 Provence (ATP 250)?

There are three ATP 250 events taking place this week, with the 32nd edition of the Open 13 Provence in Marseille one of those.

The top seed is defending champion Hubert Hurkacz, however he is not the only former winner in the draw.

Andy Murray was also victorious on the indoor hard courts in southern France back in 2008, and he will be hoping for some vintage tennis as he looks to return to form.

Other top seeds in Marseille include Grigor Dimitrov, Karen Khachanov and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

You can watch the Open 13 Provence on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland or on Tennis TV worldwide.

For more information on how to watch the historic tournament in your location, visit the official ATP website here.

How can you watch the Dallas Open (ATP 250)?

Last year saw an incredible Dallas Open final take place, with Yibing Wu becoming the first ever Chinese ATP singles champion in history after beating the now retired John Isner. Unfortunately, Wu has not played since the US Open and is unable to defend his title.

However, the draw still features some big names with four top 20 players in the form of Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton and Adrian Mannarino.

You can watch the latter stages of the Dallas Open on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland or on Tennis TV worldwide.

For more information on how to watch the event in your location, visit the official ATP website here.

How can you watch the Transylvania Open (WTA 250)?

The 2023 Transylvania Open took place less than four months ago, but after a calendar change is back already!

You said: hey, how nice it would be to have this tournament more often. And we took that seriously ????

TRANSYLVANIA OPEN IS BACK IN 2024. IN FEBRUARY!
Mark the dates, because it’s almost here!#TO2024 ????‍???? pic.twitter.com/Ank2doTfDJ

— Transylvania Open (@TransylvaniaOpn) November 29, 2023

Former world No.1 Karolina Pliskova features in the draw, but is actually unseeded after dropping to No.77 in the rankings.

Also returning to Romania are the 2022 and 2023 champions in Anna Blinkova and Tamara Korpatsch, respectively.

Anastasija Sevastova is a surprise name in the draw, using a protected ranking as she looks to climb back up the ranks.

You can watch the final of the Transylvania Open on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland or on Tennis Channel in the United States of America.

For more information on how to watch the Romanian tournament in your location, visit the official WTA website here.

How can you watch the Cordoba Open (ATP 250)?

The final main tour event of the week is in Cordoba, Argentina, kicking off the south American clay court swing. And It is a very homebased field, with 10 of the 24 direct entrants to the event Argentinian.

This includes three of the top four ranked players, with third seed Sebastian Baez looking to defend his title from last year.

In fact, four of the five former champions are included in the draw, with Cristian Garin, Juan Manuel Cerundolo and Albert Ramos Vinolas also featuring.

You can watch the latter stages of the Cordoba Open on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland or on Tennis TV worldwide.

For more information on how to watch some clay court action in your location, visit the official ATP website here.

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Andy Murray has been struggling for form in recent months, epitomised by his straight sets first round defeat at the Australian Open. But, can the three-time major winner have one final surge in the latter stages of his incredible career?

Murray has lost eight of his last nine matches, with the most recent coming earlier this week to Benoit Paire in Montpellier.

Following this defeat, some media outlets were questioning whether it was the beginning of the end of Murray’s 19-year professional career.

However, Murray defiantly responded and revealed that he ‘won’t quit’ without a fight, which is backed up by his busy schedule over the next couple of months.

Andy Murray Schedule

Murray needs wins to boost his confidence, which should be most probable at the ATP 250 tournaments with a favourable draw.

Here are the next five events that Murray is either confirmed or extremely likely to play:

Open 13 Provence: Marseille (ATP 250) – Begins 5th February

Qatar ExxonMobil Open: Doha (ATP 250) – Begins 19th February

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships (ATP 500) – Begins 26th February

BNP Paribas Open: Indian Wells (ATP 1000)* – Begins 6th March

Miami Open (ATP 1000)* – Begins 19th March

*Entry list not yet released, but very likely that Murray will enter these tournaments.

READ MORE: Andy Murray reveals he ‘won’t quit’ after recent run of poor form

How many points does Andy Murray have to defend?

With Murray not gaining many ranking points in recent months, it has left his current position (No.49) at risk, especially as he has to defend runner-up points from Doha last year.

Here is the total amount of ranking points that Murray has to defend over the next couple of months:

Doha 2023 – Finalist (140 points)

Indian Wells 2023 – Third Round (45 points)

Miami Open 2023 – First Round (10 points)

Total Ranking Points Murray has to defend upto and including Miami – 195 points

Maximum Ranking Points Murray can gain upto and including Miami 2024 – 3000 points

Minimum Ranking Points Murray can gain upto and including Miami 2024 – 20 points

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Andy Murray has hit out at critics that have suggested he should retire, with the Brit winning only one of his last nine competitive matches.

Murray was defeated by Benoit Paire in Montpellier on Monday, 6-2 6(5)-7 3-7, to provide the Frenchman with his first main ATP Tour win since 2022.

This led to BBC Sport producing an article, questioning whether the former No.1 would be calling an end to his career in the near future.

However, Murray has defiantly responded on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), “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.”

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… https://t.co/nF0var6IfL

— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) January 30, 2024

This was met by support from many including fellow Grand Slam champion, Andy Roddick, who described the article as ‘thirsty’, “Preach! Imagine telling an accomplished iconic adult your opinion on what they should choose for work and when they should do it …. This is such a dumb, thirsty article. Can’t take a legacy away. Accomplishment lives forever.”

Murray’s defiant attitude is translated to his upcoming schedule, with the world No.49 set to play in Marseille, Doha and Dubai next month.

The indoor hardcourts of Marseille are up first for Murray, with the tournament beginning next week on Monday 5th February.

Inside the baseline…

Andy Murray is admittedly in a very bad patch of form at the moment, but it is nobody’s right to retire him unless that is what he wants to do. It is not as if Murray cannot qualify for these events that he is playing, as he is still inside the world’s top 50, and even if the Brit was receiving lots of wildcards – so what! Murray has provided so much to the sport and with his never say die attitude could very well pick his form back up.

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After a scintillating fortnight of tennis in Melbourne, the action returns to the tour with WTA events in Linz and Hua Hin, and ATP Montpellier taking place for the men.

And we, at Tennishead, have all the information on how you can watch the action:

How can you watch WTA Linz?

The highest calibre event this week takes place in Linz, with the 37-year-old tournament being upgraded to a WTA 500 for the first time since 2008.

World No.10 and 2019 runner-up Jelena Ostapenko received a late wildcard for the tournament as the top seed, and will be joined by Ekaterina Alexandrova, Donna Vekic and Elise Mertens.

Anastasia Potapova returns to northern Austria as the defending champion, with 2013 winner and former No.1 Angelique Kerber also continuing her comeback after giving birth to her first child.

Angiiiiiie! ? @AngeliqueKerber ?? is ready to continue her comeback tour in Europe!@SandyEurope | #WTALinz pic.twitter.com/KqmaiUUbmg

— #WTALinz (@WTALinz) January 28, 2024

Other wildcards have been awarded to Austrian hopeful Sinja Kraus and surprise Australian Open semi-finalist, Dayana Yastremska.

You can watch the Linz Open on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland or on Tennis Channel in the United States of America.

For more information on how to watch the illustrious tournament in your location, visit the WTA website here.

READ More – Linz Open 2024 Preview: When is it, who is playing and what is the prize money?

How can you watch ATP Montpellier?

The indoor hard court tournament in Montpellier returns as the only main tour ATP tournament this week.

Last year’s champion was Jannik Sinner, who has just gone onto claim his maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.

Holger Rune is the top seed in 2024, as the Dane looks to improve on his semi-final performance from last year after receiving a wildcard.

Felix Auger-Aliassime, Borna Coric and Andy Murray are some of the other higher seeded players, with the latter in particular hoping to put his Australian Open disappointment behind him.

There are multiple former champions in the draw, with record four-time winner Richard Gasquet looking to make it five in front of his home crowd.

Other previous winners are three-time champion Gael Monfils, second seed Alexander Bublik and wildcard Lucas Pouille.

? TABLEAU OPEN SUD DE FRANCE 2024 ! pic.twitter.com/FyHBeNUNLe

— Open Sud de France (@OpenSuddeFrance) January 27, 2024

You can watch the Open Sud de France on Tennis TV worldwide, with all of Andy Murray’s matches and the singles semi-finals and final set to be shown on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

How can you watch WTA Hua Hin?

The Thailand Open is the only outdoor tournament of the week, with the iconic pink hard courts returning to the calendar once again.

Although the tournament has only been played on three previous occasions, both of the top two seeds this year are former champions in Magda Linette and last year’s winner, Lin Zhu.

This tournament will also see the return of former No.12 Qiang Wang, who has not played a match since September 2022 and meets Chinese compatriot Xiyu Wang in the first round.

Wildcards have been given to 2019 runner-up Ajla Tomljanovic, and Thai hopefuls Thasaporn Naklo and Lanlana Tararudee.

You can watch the semi-finals and final of the Thailand Open on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland. For more information on how to watch the Southeast Asian tournament in your location, visit the WTA website here.

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Andy Murray has branded Mirra Andreeva ‘a winner’ as he defended her from what he thought was harsh commentary at the Australian Open.

The 16-year-old staged a stunning comeback, defeating Diane Perry 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (10-5) despite being a double-break down in the decider.

She had to save a match point along the way but emerged with a reputation enhanced as well as a spot in the second week of a Grand Slam following a similar effort at Wimbledon last year.

During the match, Andreeva showed visible frustration at the match slipping away from her, attracting criticism from the television commentary team.

However, Andy Murray was having none of it, perhaps seeing a little of himself in what the Russian teen was doing.

Tweeting after the match, Murray said: “Andreeva down 5-1 in third.

Andreeva down 5-1 in third. Commentator “she really needs to work on mental side of her game.. she’s too hard on herself when she’s losing”
30 minutes later 7-6 Andreeva wins.
Maybe the reason she turned the match round is because of her mental strength. Maybe she turned the…

— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) January 19, 2024

“Commentator “she really needs to work on mental side of her game… she’s too hard on herself when she’s losing.” 30 minutes later 7-6 Andreeva wins.

“Maybe the reason she turned the match round is because of her mental strength. Maybe she turned the match around because she is hard on herself and demands more of herself when she’s losing/playing badly? Winner.”

Andreeva beat Ons Jabuer in round two, restricting the former Wimbledon finalist to just two games in the contest. She will face either Barbora Krejcikova or qualifier Storm Hunter in the fourth round.

Mirra Andreeva wants to ‘print out and frame’ Andy Murray comment

Andreeva was told about Murray’s tweet after her match and understandably she was thrilled with it.

In fact, she was so happy that she says she wants to print it, frame it, and look at it every day!

Mirra Andreeva says she will print Andy Murray’s tweet & put it in a frame so she can bring it everywhere:

“Honestly I didn’t really think that he would watch a match, then after he would tweet, he would comment something. Honestly, I will try to print it out somehow. I don’t… pic.twitter.com/Idm200RiQh

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 19, 2024

“Honestly I didn’t really think that he would watch a match, then after he would tweet, he would comment something,” Andreeva said.

“I will try to print it out somehow. I don’t know, I will put it in a frame. I will bring it everywhere with me. I will maybe put it on the wall so I can see it every day.

“Honestly I didn’t expect him to do anything about this match.”

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The post Andy Murray defends ‘winner’ Mirra Andreeva after commentary criticism appeared first on Tennishead.

Andy Murray has suffered a first round straight sets defeat to Tomas Martin Etcheverry, with the Brit admitting that he may never return to the tournament again.

Murray was beaten, 4-6 2-6 2-6, by the Argentine and appeared very emotional when waving goodbye to the crowd on the Kia Arena.

In his press conference after the match, Murray was very honest when asked about the future of his career, “Yeah, there’s a definite possibility that will be the last time I play here.”

He continued, “Whilst you’re playing the match you’re obviously trying to control your emotions, focus on the points and everything and then when you’re one point away from the end it’s like, ‘I can’t believe it’s over like so quickly and like this.’

“Walking off the court [I was] like ‘I wish I involved the crowd more’, and just disappointed with the way that I played and all that stuff. A tough, tough way to finish. It was a poor performance and very, very flat.”

Murray is a five-time finalist in Melbourne and continued to speak about his disappointment, with practice sessions not translating to the matchcourt.

“If I play like today, I won’t win many matches playing that way,” claimed Murray. “Practice is not the same thing, I’m totally aware of that. I also know what good tennis is, and played well before.

“In the last week, 10 days, I know how well I was playing against the best players in the world. That’s why it’s so frustrating on the matchcourt. It’s not there.”

The former No.1 concluded, “I’ve been telling myself that at some stage it will, but obviously when you have performances like today or a batch of results over a period of time like I have done, it’s tough to keep believing in that.”

With you every step of the way, Andy ?@andy_murray #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/Qp9MHZE7Nu

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) January 15, 2024

Murray is currently entered into two French indoor hard court events following the Australian Open, in Montpellier and Marseille, respectively.

Inside the baseline…

With this defeat, it’s not necessarily the fact that Andy Murray has lost to a very capable 30th seed in Tomas Martin Etcheverry, it’s more the subdude and uncharacteristic manor that he was beaten. With Murray currently 36-years-old it does seem that his form this year will be a big decider on whether he decides to continue playing, as the Brit appears to be getting more and more impatient. This is heightened at the Grand Slam tournaments, having not surpassed the third round of any since hip surgery.

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The post Andy Murray admits there is a ‘definite possibility’ that was his last Australian Open match appeared first on Tennishead.

Andy Murray has revealed that he is ‘enjoying it better’ after admitting his frustrations towards the end of 2023, as the former No.1 gave his verdict on the ATP’s attempt at preventing late finishes.

Murray has played only one official ATP match so far this year, losing in three sets to eventual champion Grigor Dimitrov in Brisbane.

However, the British No.3 has also played two exhibition matches this week against fellow Grand Slam champions at the Kooyong Classic.

Murray lost to the returning Marin Cilic on Wednesday, before beating Dominic Thiem in straight sets on Thursday in Melbourne.

Loving life at the @Kooyong_Classic ??@andy_murray finished his #AusOpen preparations at the exhibition event in Melbourne pic.twitter.com/0hkJrnpLkf

— LTA (@the_LTA) January 11, 2024

And the three-time Grand Slam champion has spoken about how he is feeling ahead of the first major of the year, “I definitely feel like I’m enjoying it better. I think part of that is obviously, it’s the mental side of it. Tennis is a difficult game in that respect. When you’re struggling, you’re obviously out there on your own, it can be difficult at times. Part of it is that.”

He continued, “Also the way you’re playing. When you know you’re capable of doing more than what you are, if you’re not happy with the way you’re hitting forehands and backhands and serving and those sorts of things, there’s the technical aspect as well.

“Fixing some of those problems has helped me feel better on the court. Definitely some focus on the mental side, as well. Reframing the way you look at things definitely, definitely helps. But no, I won’t be out there giggling on the court. That won’t be happening.”

Murray struggled for form in the latter stages of the 2023 season, winning only one of his last six matches, and the 36-year-old revealed how he is going to deal with things differently this year, drawing comparisons to ‘the big three’.

“It’s more about how you’re dealing with frustration and disappointment and everything when you’re playing,” explained Murray. “I don’t see Novak [Djokovic] out there when he’s playing his matches laughing and joking around. I never saw that with Roger [Federer] and Rafa [Nadal]. It’s not about that.

“It’s probably how you’re treating yourself in those moments and being a bit kinder to yourself, the people around you, lowering some of your own expectations, controlling what you can control. All of the players will sit in here and say exactly the same thing.”

Murray added, “It’s just not that easy to do it when you’re out there competing. That’s the hard part, yeah, just to focus on the next shot, the next point. It’s a very easy thing to say. We all know it. But doing it is difficult. When I was younger, I obviously always got frustrated on the court, but I always felt like in the really important moments, I was always competing very well. Last year I was getting frustrated, I was not competing well in the important moments. That’s something that I hope to change this year.”

This year, the Australian Open will begin on Sunday for the first time in history, with the tournament following Roland Garros in a bid to prevent late night finishes.

Late finishes were something that heavily affected Murray at the Australian Open last year, with the Scot finishing his second round at 4:05am after playing his longest ever match against Thanasi Kokkinakis.

Throwback to one of the greatest matches at AO 2023. @pmouratoglou gives us his take on Andy Murray V Thanasi Kokkinakis ? pic.twitter.com/gwEc1sPz3U

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 8, 2024

Despite this move by the tournament, Murray does not seem convinced by how effective it is going to be, “I don’t think the Sunday start will change the late finishes. I think on Centre Court they’re having two matches in the day, two matches in the evening.

“I think that will reduce the possibility for late finishes on Rod Laver because it’s unlikely you’re going to have issues with the day session running into the night, then having that gap where they have to clear out the stadium and get the night session fans in.”

As well as the Australian Open making changes in order to reduce late finishes, the ATP and WTA have also announced this week that they will be collaborating for the same purpose.

The world No.44 believes this is a ‘positive’ move, “I think we probably just need to see how it works out. I think it’s really positive that they’re trying to make a change. Yeah, let’s see.

“I think that’s the main thing, is that there’s sort of an acceptance now that, yes, this is probably we need to do something to address it, and they made changes to try to do that. Yeah, this is a good step. I think the players will be happy with it. Hopefully it works well.”

Murray will begin his 16th Australian Open campaign against 30th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry, who he has a head-to-head of 1-1 with, in a match that will take place on Monday.

Inside the baseline…

Andy Murray is obviously nearing the end of his career, with the potential that 2024 could even be his final year on the ATP Tour. With that being said, the want for the Brit to have a final deep run at a major tournament is greater than ever for his fans, with Murray’s best Grand Slam result last year reaching the third round of the Australian Open. Murray definitely has the game to beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry, with the potential of playing top seed Novak Djokovic in the third round.

READ MORE: ATP and WTA Tours combine with ‘strategic review’

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