Former world No. 1 Andy Murray has said he is not thinking about retiring from tennis and insisted he is still competitive against top players.
The 35-year-old, who has played with a metal right hip since he underwent surgery in 2019, has improved his ranking in 2022 from No. 134 to his current mark of No. 43.
“Look, I’m really not thinking about that right now,” Murray told reporters at the Laver Cup on Sunday when asked if watching Roger Federer’s farewell had made him think about retirement more.
“I’m still playing competitive tennis and physically feeling good against top players. I just need to start really turning some of these tight losses and close matches into wins. It’s as simple as that.”
Murray lost both his matches at the Laver Cup in a deciding tiebreak, against Alex De Minaur in the singles and against the pair of Jack Sock and Felix Auger-Aliassime while playing doubles with Matteo Berrettini.
When he does decide to stop, the Scot said his retirement will be nowhere near the same scale as that of 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer, whose farewell had players and fans in tears on Friday night as he signed off in an emotional doubles match alongside his long-term rival and friend, Rafael Nadal.
“I certainly won’t and don’t deserve to have a send-off like that,” Murray said.
“Roger did deserve that night, and it was super special having all of those guys [Roger’s family and coaches] there watching on the side of the court, and having them there made it really special.
“Look, for me, I’m not going to have a farewell match, I guess, like that. I probably would announce when I’m going to play my last event and stuff, but when that is, I don’t know.”
Murray said the Laver Cup has enabled him to reflect on what he has achieved in the game from his three Grand Slam titles to two Olympic gold medals to reaching world No. 1 and winning the Davis Cup for Great Britain.
“[In] the few days in the build-up to that day [Friday], I found myself thinking a lot about these last sort of 10, 15 years more than I probably have done before,” Murray said.
“When I was going through some of the injury problems, I didn’t know if I was going to play, I was thinking about it from my own perspective.
“But maybe looking at it more in a broader perspective, like thinking about what Roger’s done for the game and what Rafa and Novak [Djokovic have done], as well, and what this period has been like, it has been special.
“We’re lucky to be here and [to have been] present for Friday night.”