Murray unlikely to play past summer

Dubai – Former world No 1 Andy Murray said he is “likely not going to play competitive tennis past this summer”.

The British three-time Grand Slam champion, 36, has won just two of his eight matches this season and appears ready to put an end to his storied career.

Murray, who fell to French fifth seed Ugo Humbert 6-2, 6-4 in the Dubai second-round on Wednesday, has not recorded back-to-back victories since September and has faced persistent questions over his future.

“I’m likely not going to play past this summer,” he said.

“I get asked about it after every single match that I play, every single tournament that I play. I’m bored of the question, to be honest.

“I’m not going to talk more about that between now and whenever the time comes for me to stop.

“But yeah, I don’t plan on playing much past this summer.”

Murray, who has been playing with a metal hip since he underwent re-surfacing surgery in 2019, hopes to compete at the French Open in May, which would be his first appearance at Roland Garros since 2020.

The Scot, who reached the final in Paris once in 2016, has played just 11 matches on clay in his last two campaigns and skipped the surface altogether in 2021.

“Last few years I’ve tried to give myself maybe better preparation for the grass season, but that also doesn’t guarantee that you’re going to play really well,” said Murray.

“I’ve had experiences through my career where I didn’t play the French Open in 2013 and I won Wimbledon. I also played the French Open and did really well in 2016.

“I don’t think it makes a difference to get an extra week’s practice on the grass, so yeah, I wan’t to play (Roland Garros).” –