Andy Murray admits to "not really enjoying" tennis after crushing defeat to Alex de Minaur in 2023 Paris Masters

Andy Murray has admitted that he is "not really enjoying" tennis at the moment after yet another crushing defeat to Alex de Minaur, this time in the first round of the 2023 Rolex Paris Masters.

The former World No. 1 has had a difficult time on the ATP Tour as of late, struggling to put together back-to-back wins and thus suffering several early exits across the latter half of the season. One particular thorn in Murray's side this season has been World No. 13 de Minaur, who has defeated the Brit four times in 2023.

Overall, the Australian player dominates their head-to-head 6-0, having won their matches in 2018, 2019, and 2022. This year, de Minaur has significantly extended his lead with straight-set wins against the three-time Grand Slam champion at the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Queen's Club Championships.

Read also

"About the court, I don't really want to talk": Elena Rybakina says court at WTA Finals not good enough for top eight players

Murray loses grueling battle in Paris

Following this, the pair met in the first round of the China Open in Beijing, where they played a very closely contested match, which de Minaur won 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (6).

In the same month, Murray faced the 24-year-old yet again in Paris and this time it looked as though he could finally secure a win in their head-to-head. After going to a decider, the 36-year-old was leading 5-2 in the final set when de Minaur pulled off a remarkable comeback to prevail 7-6, 4-6, 7-5.

After the match, Murray was evidently frustrated and revealed that he was struggling to enjoy tennis at the moment.

"I’m not really enjoying it just now in terms of how I feel on the court and how I’m playing," he said.

Read also

"It's pathetic": Andy Murray calls out Nike for being sexist after oversight surrounding South Africa Rugby World Cup win

"The last five, six months haven’t been that enjoyable, so I need to try and find some of that enjoyment back because playing a match like that there’s not much positivity there.

"When I play a good point, I’m not really getting behind myself and then in the important moments, that will to win and fight that has always been quite a big, big part of my game…" he continued.

BBC Sport

@BBCSport

·Follow

Andy Murray says he's "not been enjoying" his tennis for the last five or six months 😩 #BBCTennis

77

Reply

Copy link

Read 15 replies