Andy Murray
achieved his second victory in 2024 against
Denis Shapovalov with a score of
4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 at the
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and acknowledged
that his career is coming to an end.
The British
tennis player also reached his 500th triumph on hardcourts, making him the
fifth player to achieve this milestone, following Roger Federer, Novak
Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Andre Agassi.
The former
world No. 1 was proud of his accomplishment, especially considering that at 36
years old, the end of his career is looming: 'There's not many players that
have done that. It's great to get to 500 before I'm done,' the 3-time Grand
Slam champion stated.
'It's not
bad. Hard courts have been a great surface for me over the years. Five hundred,
it's a lot of matches. I'm very proud of that,' Murray said.
The British
tennis player also acknowledged that it is sometimes difficult to deal with
people's criticisms: 'People read a lot into what I say on the court sometimes,
and it's not always rational,' Murray added.
Nevertheless,
Andy Murray commented that his love for tennis and professional competition has
not changed, despite his age. The British player started his professional
career in 2005 and has won 46 titles, including 14 Masters 1000, two gold
medals in the Olympics, and an ATP Finals title.
Moreover,
he is recognized as the greatest rival of the Big-3, as he is the only one who
interrupted the dominance of Federer – Nadal - Djokovic at the top of the
rankings between 2004 and 2022: 'I still love competing, I still love the game.
It gets harder and harder the older you get to compete with the young guys.
You've got to keep your body fit and fresh,' he said.
“It's not
easy, I probably don't have too long left but I'll do the best that I can these
last few months," Murray concluded.