British tennis player Andy Murray was soundly beaten in Dubai by Ugo Humbert and said afterward that he is unlikely to play beyond this summer
Andy Murray is finally beginning to clarify his retirement plans after another one-sided defeat in which he could be heard saying “I don’t have a clue what I’m doing.”
Speaking after his 6-2, 6-4 defeat at the hands of France’s Ugo Humbert, Murray said: “I’m likely not going to play past this summer. I get asked about it after every single match that I play, every single tournament that I play. I’m bored of the question, to be honest.”
The only remaining debate would be whether Murray finishes at Wimbledon or waits for the Olympics, he expressed enthusiasm for a fifth appearance at the Games.
“Hopefully I can get the chance to compete at another one,” said Murray of the Olympics, where he carried the flag for Great Britain in 2016 while also becoming the only man to successfully defend a singles title.
Sources suggest that, while Murray would have little chance of earning a medal in the singles event on the clay of Roland Garros – which is his least favorite surface, he has his eye on the doubles. One scenario might see him partnering with his friend Dan Evans.
Murray admitted that he has yet to decide quite how he will handle his departure from the sport at the age of 36.
“When the time is right I will probably say something before I play my last match and my last tournament,” he said. “Whether I say anything months ahead of the time I don’t know.
“There’s no right way of finishing your career and everyone is different so what might be the right way for [Roger] Federer might not be the right way for [Rafael] Nadal, might not be the right way for [Novak] Djokovic.”
Murray’s performance in Dubai only added to the sense of a man on borrowed time. The left-handed Humbert recently cracked the world’s top 20 for the first time, so he is a player in form. But that can hardly explain the ineffectuality of Murray’s return game.
Usually known as one of the world’s greatest returners, Murray is also well-versed in dealing with a swinging lefty serve, as he grew up facing his elder brother Jamie on the courts of Dunblane.
Against Humbert, however, he was utterly at a loss. In the first set, he won just a single point during four return games, which the commentators suggested might be a career low. After one misplaced forehand, he started yelling at the coaches in his player box, saying “I don’t have a clue what I’m doing. Oh God. Awful feelings. Awful feelings on the tennis court. Horrific.”
Murray also got told off by the chair umpire for conversing with his coach Mark Hilton at the end of the first set. According to the latest rules on the ATP Tour, any guidance from coaches during matches has to be one-way, rather than an exchange between the two parties.
