Author: Barkha Roy
According to reports, Andy Murray is considering skipping the rest of the clay season after a disappointing performance at the Monte Carlo Masters. The former world number one was knocked out in the first round of the tournament by Australian Alex de Minaur, adding to his difficulties on clay.
In his first clay court match of the year, Murray was beaten 6-1, 6-3 by De Minaur. As Roland-Garros approaches, Murray expressed concern about his performance above all else, and questioned whether he would take part in other clay-court events.
Murray expressed disappointment with his performance and said: “I’m very disappointed about that, to be honest, because I practiced well last week. Obviously, I didn’t have high expectations for the first tournament, I didn’t expect to play amazing tennis or feel good on the court, but certainly when you put in a certain level of work and that’s the performance that comes at the end of it all, it’s quite demoralizing. I have to think a lot about things with my team and what I do from here.“
If Murray decides to skip the rest of the clay season, he won’t be able to compete in any other tournaments, which will hamper his efforts to climb the rankings. His goal for the first half of the year is to be a seed at Wimbledon and break into the top 32, which he won’t be able to achieve without playing more tournaments. Murray is currently ranked 54th in the live rankings.
Murray had a promising start to the season, beating Thanasi Kokkinakis and Matteo Berrettini in tight matches at the Australian Open. He then reached the final in Doha, beating Alexander Zverev, before losing to Daniil Medvedev in the final.
Before losing to fellow Brit Jack Draper, he had a couple of good wins in Indian Wells to keep him going. However, his defeat to Dusan Lajovic in Miami dented his momentum, and his loss to De Minaur in Monte Carlo increased his struggles.
The last time Murray visited Monte Carlo was in 2017, when he was beaten by Spaniard Albert Ramos Vinolas in the third round. Despite his previous successes on clay, Murray’s recent struggles on the surface have left him questioning his ability to compete at the highest level. As a result, he may choose to focus on other surfaces and tournaments to try to regain his form.