Andy Murray stresses again retirement not in sight as he prepares for Qatar Open – ‘I want to keep playing’

Andy Murray has again asserted that he fully intends to keep playing tennis, despite the Briton’s winless start to 2024.

The Scot, who is currently ranked world No. 50, has been knocked out in the first round of every tournament he has entered since the turn of the year.

Murray has said in recent weeks that he would be willing to drop down to the ATP Challenger tour once more to rediscover that winning feeling, which has eluded him in the early hard court season, with his most recent defeat coming at the hands of .

Murray plays the French qualifier Alexandre Muller in his opening round in Qatar, and the Scot is in the top half of the draw where top seed Andrey Rublev lurks.

A potential quarter-final encounter with the Russian could be on the cards should Murray make it to the last eight.

“Tennis-wise it hasn’t been a great start to the year,” Murray said.

“I’ve never experienced a period like this as a professional. It’s been difficult, a new experience for me [which] is not the nicest, but good to experience new things and try and learn from them.”

Murray continues his comeback from constant injury niggles, and he has been particularly plagued by his hip and has had to contend with marathon-esque battles in many of the matches that he has played.

“Physically, I’m not expecting to feel how I did when I was 20, so it’s hard when you get to your mid to late 30s to stay at the level required to beat the best players,” he said.

“Certainly, tennis-wise I know I can play a lot better than I have been.”

The three-time Grand Slam champion also admitted that he has started to see a switch in fortunes between the practice court and his tournament play.

“I’ve never really experienced playing really well in practice and not being able to translate it to a match court before, it was always the opposite for me,” said the two-time Wimbledon winner.

“I was never a great practice player, I [never] used to win practice matches, exhibition matches; it’s been the complete opposite for me recently. I know there’s better tennis in me than I’m showing just now, but I’m hoping I can turn it around.”

Murray, now 36, has insisted that he intends to continue playing, despite being asked repeatedly whether retirement is on the horizon.

“When I was in my early 20s, I would have mainly young fans that would come up to you and ask for autographs, now I get more older people, whose bodies are falling apart,” Murray said.

“They are kind of like ‘It’s great that you keep going, it’s inspired me to get out and keep training’, so the demographic has changed a little bit.

“It’s nice, I can do whatever I want. I don’t have to do what fans, journalists or anyone is telling me to do.

“Qualifying for all these tournaments on my right, on my ranking and all the matches that I’ve won, I want to keep playing just now, so I’m not going to stop.”