‘Do me a favour’: Murray hits back after legacy questioned

Bengaluru — Three-times Grand Slam champion Andy Murray has hit back at suggestions he could “damage his legacy” if he continues his career after the 36-year-old Scot suffered a third consecutive first-round exit to start the season.

Murray breathed new life into his career after having hip-resurfacing surgery in 2019 but has struggled to reach the latter stages of the top events. He has failed to go beyond the third round of a Grand Slam since reaching the Wimbledon quarters in 2017.

After first-round exits at Brisbane and Melbourne Park, Murray’s defeat by Frenchman Benoit Paire in Montpellier on Tuesday prompted a BBC reporter to ask the question: “At what point does bravely soldiering on start to damage his legacy?”

“Tarnishing my legacy? Do me a favour,” Murray responded on social media platform X.

“I’m in a terrible moment right now I’ll give you that.

“Most people would quit and give up in my situation right now. But I’m not most people and my mind works differently,” the former world No 1 and two-time Olympic champion added.

“I won’t quit. I will keep fighting and working to produce the performances I know I’m capable of.”

Former US Open champion Andy Roddick railed at the report and said nothing could detract from Murray’s achievements.

“Can’t take legacy away. Accomplishment lives forever,” he posted on X.

At the same time former US Open champion Dominic Thiem said this season is his “last chance” to get back to playing at a level he expects of himself and climb back up the world rankings after dropping down the order due to injuries.

The 30-year-old former world No 3 struggled to get back to top form after suffering a wrist injury in 2021, which sidelined him for months, and the Austrian fell out of the top 300 in 2022.

The twice French Open finalist finished 2023 ranked 98th in the world, and while he hoped to continue his rise with a decent run at the Australian Open, he bowed out in the first round.

“I see this as my last chance. If I make it, it can happen quickly,” Thiem told Austrian daily Der Standard on Tuesday.

“I’ve been back for two years now since the injury, and I finished 2022 on 100 or so and last year on 98. If I finish the year on 100 again, you have to think about whether it’s still worth it.

“I’ve been in rankings for two years now that I don’t want to be in. Of course that weighs on me... I’ve been chasing the feeling of really being able to play tennis in a match again for a long time. And the way I expect myself to.”

Thiem also said he has parted ways with long-time coach Benjamin Ebrahimzadeh.

Reuters