PAINFUL FOR MURRAY
Andy admits struggling with form and his hip after defeat by Medvedev
ANDY MURRAY admitted his lack of top-class tennis was brutally exposed in his defeat by Daniil Medvedev.
The former world No.1’s latest comeback ended after two matches as he lost 7-5 6-2 in only 81 minutes at the Brisbane International.
From missing two break points at 5-5 in the first set, the Scot lost six consecutive games to the 22-year-old Russian to show how difficult it will be to return to the top at the age of 31.
Murray had won the title in his last two appearances in Queensland. But he said: “I made too many mistakes.
“When you play better players – he is 15 in the world or so, a top player – they will expose any errors you make in your game or any shots you are not hitting particularly well. He did that tonight.
“As you play up the levels, whether it is issues with your game – whether you are not serving as well or moving as well
– the better players exploit that.
“I need to try and find a way of working out how to get around with some of the things I am struggling with now and I will try and do that.”
Asked about his hip, he said: “OK. Not perfect. Better than how I was competing a few months ago when I was competing back-to-back days.”
Murray now travels to Melbourne to prepare for the Australian Open which starts on January 14. But the world No.240 has only won back-to-back matches in two of the seven tournaments he has played since limping out of Wimbledon in 2017. He underwent hip surgery last January.
Rafa Nadal, who has played only one exhibition match since the US Open semi-final, pulled out of the Brisbane event with a thigh strain. “It’s a risk to damage my body for one month if I play here,” he said.
Kyle Edmund, who reached the Australian Open semi-finals last year, suffered a shock 7-6 6-4 defeat to Yasutaka Uchiyama.
And Johanna Konta also lost, 6-2 7-6 to Ajla Tomljanovic.