The hip operation allowed Andy Murray to continue playing tennis, giving a smile to his many fans. At the same time, the former world number 1 struggled to achieve worthy results of his name. The Scottish champion, who started the year outside the top 130 of the ATP rankings, has made steady progress in recent months.
The three-time Grand Slam champion reached the final on grass in Stuttgart and the quarterfinals at the Hall of Fame Open, finally returning to the Top 50. In between, there were also several missed passes. ‘Muzza’ did not progress beyond the second round at Wimbledon and was eliminated in the first round in both Washington and Montreal.
Andy was hoping to get good places in these tournaments to be seeded at the US Open, a milestone only achievable with an amazing ride in Cincinnati. Despite the ups and downs, the British veteran has no intention of hanging his racket.
In an exclusive interview with ‘Tennis365’, Laura Robson said that Murray has earned the right to decide when to quit.
Robson on Andy Murray
Asked about the questions surrounding Andy Murray’s future, Robson told Tennis365’s Kevin Palmer in an exclusive interview: “I just don’t understand it, he is enjoying himself, he is playing great tennis.
I think the results are coming, they are getting better and better. “As long as he is having a good time out there and looking to continue improving there is absolutely no reason why he can’t challenge the top players and keep going.
We talk about [Roger] Federer coming back as well and he just turned 41”. She explained: “He is coming up against younger players, players who are so fit. I feel like everyone in the top 100 is now an incredible athlete, there is not much of a gap anymore.
It is almost turning into how the women’s side is where that depth is just getting better and better. I was watching [world No 54 Yoshihito] Nishioka playing and thinking ‘he should be ranked a lot higher’.
Players like that you think ‘wow, they are incredible, they are so quick on the hard courts’. That is the tough draw at the moment, you come up against one of these young guys and they think they can win.”
The Big 3 have dominated men’s tennis for more than two decades now. Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal have clinched a whopping 63 Grand Slam titles over the past two decades.