Murray adamant he will come through bad spell: “I want to keep playing, I’m not going to stop”

The 36-year-old says he hopes to come out of his bad spell a stronger player for it

Valentina Claret / Panoramic

February 17, 2024

Andy Murray will be back in action this coming week when he plays in the Qatar Open in Doha.

The Scot is desperate to return to winning ways, having won just once in his past 10 matches, a run of form he’s never experienced in his life.

The 36-year-old continues to defy medical expectations by playing at the top level despite a metal hip and he enters Doha as the world No 50, though he is defending runner-up points after making the final last year.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Murray said it had “been hard” to go through such a poor run of form, especially as he was playing well in practice but not translating it into match wins. Some people have questioned why he is still out there, grinding away, when he has plenty of money and achieved so much in the sport. Murray said he still has the motivation to continue.

“Yeah, I can do whatever I want,” he said. “I don’t have to do what fans or journalists or anyone wants. I’m qualifying for all these tournaments by right, by my ranking, from the matches that I’ve won. I want to keep playing just now. I don’t want to stop.”

Murray will take on a qualifier in his first match in Doha. Russian Andrey Rublev is the No 1 seed.

“Tennis-wise I know I can play a lot better than I have been,” he said. “I know there’s better tennis in me than I’ve been showing just now. It’s not that nice but it’s good to experience new things and try to learn from them. When I do get myself out of it hopefully I’ll feel better and stronger for it.”