AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 15, 2024

Andy Murray

Press Conference

T.M. ETCHEVERRY/A. Murray

6-4, 6-2, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: We'll go straight into questions for Andy.

Q. How do you feel and how did you see that match? Where did it get away from you?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, obviously disappointed. Well, not much went right, to be honest, from the beginning. I had maybe a small chance in the middle of the first set.

Yeah, it was a poor performance. It was, like, very, very flat. It was an amazing crowd out there that were... Yeah, I felt like they were trying to pick me up, support and get behind me. Usually I would always engage the crowd and get them going and bring some energy into the match.

It was, yeah, really just a flat performance. I don't know exactly why that was the case because I've been feeling good going in. Played pretty well in Brisbane. Practiced really well the last 10 days or so. Don't know.

Q. You mentioned on the Friday about trying to be kinder to yourself, maybe how you are on the court. That can sometimes lead to being flat because you want to be controlled, and you end up being too controlled?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, it's difficult because I know at times when I'm on the court, like, I've always got frustrated, sort of shown my emotions on the court. There's no question at times in the last 8, 10 months it's been affecting me in matches, and at times during my career. I'm aware that side of things hasn't been perfect.

Yeah, I don't know. I didn't feel like out of control on the court. I didn't feel unbelievably frustrated whilst I was playing. I was trying to, yeah, stay a little bit calmer.

I don't know. I don't know if that was a reason for me not playing well or not. Definitely, definitely a flat performance. With that stuff, yeah, there is a balance to it because I would say someone like Novak is a good example for me to look at. He's not perfect on the court. Sometimes he will get frustrated and everything, but when he's playing the points, he's focused and intense on every single point he plays. I think that's when I would play generally my best tennis when it's like that.

Like I said, at times the last year or so, it has been distracting me during the points and everything. Something that needs to be addressed. Yeah, bizarre feeling on the court today.

Q. You looked quite emotional at the end. Were you emotional? Might that have been a farewell to Melbourne? Was that something going through your mind?

ANDY MURRAY: I mean, definitely. Definitely a possibility. Yeah, it's a definite possibility that will be the last time I play here. And yeah, I think probably because of how the match went and everything, I don't know. Whilst you're playing the match, you're obviously trying to control your emotions, focus on the points and everything. When you're one point away from the end, you're like, I can't believe this is over so quickly, and like this.

Yeah, in comparison to the matches that I played here last year, it's the complete opposite feeling walking off the court. Yeah, wish I involved the crowd more. Just disappointed with the way I played and all of that stuff, so...

Yeah, tough, tough way to finish.

Q. It's been sort of a long road the last few years for you. There's a number of players here who are coming back from either serious injuries or time off to have kids. What have you learned about this comeback journey? What sort of wisdom would you convey to someone who was attempting it in this sport?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I would say it's extremely hard. But everyone's situation is different. I had back surgery earlier in my career. The severity of that surgery in comparison to what I had a few years ago is completely different. Some players are coming back maybe after becoming parents, it's completely different to someone who has, I don't know, had an injured ankle or something. They're not all the same things.

It is really hard. I'd say it's not usual for players to come back from eight, nine months away from the game, a year away from the game, and start feeling amazing immediately. It does take time.

For me this time, yeah, well, it's never really come back so it's difficult when you played at the top of the game, I think, to change your perspective on how you should be performing and how you should be doing. I would have the highest expectations, and a lot of the players coming back, like Osakas, and Wozniackis, Kerbers, Rafa, all of them have played right at the top of the game. It's difficult if you come back and you're not at that same level. It's hard.

Q. The recent results haven't been what you wanted. Do you feel like the tennis you want to play, the tennis that will give you the results you want, is still in there?

ANDY MURRAY: If I play like today, absolutely not, no. I won't win many matches playing that way. Practice is not the same thing. I'm totally aware of that.

I also know, like, what good tennis is. I've, yeah, played well before. I know in the last week, 10 days, how well I was playing against the best players in the world. That's why it's so frustrating that on the match court, yeah, it's not there.

I mean, 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.

Q. It looked like you were in a bit of physical discomfort a couple of times, a bit of wincing directed in the hip direction. Is that normal aches and pains or was it above and beyond?

ANDY MURRAY: No, my hip was okay. Sometimes when I get into really deep positions, I don't have much range of motion. Sometimes, like, the soft tissues at the front of the hip kind of get a bit squished because there's nowhere for the hip to go. It doesn't move like it used to. At times that can happen. That's been totally normal since I started playing again with the new hip.

Q. Do you have a time frame or even a deadline where you think you need to get back to where you were, where you want to be, when you decide whether you want to carry on or not, either the next few months, this season? How do you see it?

ANDY MURRAY: Look, I have an idea of what I would probably like to finish playing. Yeah, so much of that depends on how you're playing.

The time frame for that narrows when you play and have results like today. Look, I know that Tomas is a really, really good player. I'm aware of that. Even if I play well today, I can still lose the match. It's just the nature of the performance that makes you question things.

Yeah, I haven't gained in belief from today's match that at some stage I'm going to start playing really well again or winning tournaments or getting to the latter stages of major events.

Last year was a slightly different story. Physically I held up well against two really good players. Yeah, very different situation sitting here. So the time frame narrows a little bit for me to, yeah, get to a level that I want to be at.

Q. Going forward, as you assess what the next sort of month or year holds, are you going to sort of just think about it on your way home? Will you discuss it with your family, your coaching staff?

ANDY MURRAY: I've spoken to them about it. I've spoken to my family about it. I've spoken to my team about it. Well, yeah, they're very aware of how I feel about things, where I would like to finish playing, when that would be.

I haven't made any definite decisions on that. Yeah, it's obviously something that I need to think about and see exactly when that is.

I have spoken to my team about it. I've spoken to my family about it multiple times. It's not like it hasn't been something that's been on my mind.

Q. When you play, you can feel that you have the crowd behind you, they're cheering for you, you get this massive support. How does that make you feel in general? In particular, on a tough day like this one...

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I think that's probably the thing that today I'm most disappointed about just in terms of how I was probably on the court. Yeah, the support that the crowds here over the years has given me has been unbelievable. Particularly like the last few years, yeah, it's been great.

Today they all showed up again and gave me brilliant support. I didn't give enough. I felt like I didn't give enough back and I'm disappointed with that because they have helped me a lot over the years in matches here. They were definitely there to try to do that again for me today. I didn't use the crowd and their support to my advantage like I should have done. I'm disappointed with that.