Andy Murray on 2023: “I’m heading in the right direction. I’ve got big plans next year”

It’s six years since Andy Murray ended the year ranked world No 1 for the first time, the culmination of five glorious months in which he lost just three times after Wimbledon, a run which including a second Olympic gold medal and five straight titles.

His win over Novak Djokovic at the end of the year sealed the year-end No 1 spot but a lot has changed since then, with serious hip surgery pushing him to the bring of retirement.

His return to the Tour six months later was a minor miracle and since then, he’s continued to plug away, despite a series of niggles, hoping to rediscover top form. In 2022, there have been significant signs of improvement and he ends the year ranked No 49.

For the 35-year-old, it’s a good base to start from in 2023, even if he remains frustrated, ever the perfectionist.

“When you’ve been at the top of the game and got to No 1, that’s always where your reference point is in terms of how you’re doing,” he said on ATP Radio’s latest podcast.

Murray in the USA for the off-season

“So in that respect it’s been pretty average, but at the beginning of the year I was ranked No 135 in the world and now I’m around 45, which is a big jump. I would have liked to have done better, I don’t think I played my best tennis….but it’s been OK this year.

“I want to keep progressing. This year I have progressed a lot from where I was. If things don’t keep improving then I’ll have to look at things but I’m still going in the direction I want to be and I’ve got big plans next year.”

Murray went 26-19 on the year, reaching finals in Sydney and Stuttgart, but was disappointed in Grand Slams, his third-round showing at the US Open his best effort in three events, having skipped the French Open and then lost to John Isner in the second round at Wimbledon.

As well as playing in the Battle of the Brits exhibition, run by his brother Jamie Murray, he is heading to the United States for the off-season, a hark back to his younger days.

“I’m going to go to Florida for the first time in a while, that’s where I always used to do my off seasons, put in some hard work.”

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