Former world number one Andy Murray suffered another early exit from the ATP tournament in Montpellier after Benoit Payer defeated him in the first round on Monday.
He came back to beat the British tennis star 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3. The struggles continue for Murray, who earlier this month revealed his intentions to retire following a series of disappointing performances – including a comprehensive loss in the first round of the Australian Open. Murray lost his first Grand Slam of the year to Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry in straight sets. In fact, he has only won one of his last 8 matches and has slipped to 49th in the world rankings.
At the Open Sud de France, Murray showed promise by winning the first set comfortably, but Baer battled back to force a decider, eventually saving four match points from Murray's valiant effort to win.
The first-round loss reignited speculation of his retirement, but Andy Murray was noticeably upset when a BBC Scotland piece suggested the British tennis star's legacy was at risk from such successive losses.
“Smearing my heritage? Do me a favor,” Murray wrote in X, citing BBC reporter Geredin Itesan's post in a tweet. „I'm in a terrible moment right now, I'll give you that. Most people in my situation right now would give up and give up. But I'm not most people, my mind works differently. I won't give up. I'll keep fighting and I'll work to make a good performance.
It is no exaggeration that Murray is in a 'terrible moment'; The British tennis star is on the worst run of his career with five consecutive defeats. Also, the win over the two-time Wimbledon champion was Baer's first win on the ATP circuit since August 2022.
Three-time major champion Andy Murray has not revealed a specific time frame for his retirement plans, but has hinted that this season could be his last if he stops enjoying the sport. He has previously expressed his desire to make another deep run at a major and is believed to qualify for the Olympics in Paris this summer.
„Całkowity introwertyk. Nieprzejednany specjalista od sieci. Przyjazny fanatyk bekonu. Student ekstremalnych. Miłośnik piwa. Organizator.”