Andy Murray says things have gotten "tremendously worse" after Indian Wells, blames ATP rules for having to play on clay
Andy Murray has stated that after his disastrous performance in Monte-Carlo, he will have to think about whether to continue playing or skip the clay season.
The former World No. 1 kicked off his clay court season with an underwhelming loss in the first round of the Monte-Carlo Masters. Up against Alex de Minaur, Murray lost 6-1, 6-3 in one hour and 26 minutes to bow out of the tournament.
Speaking to the press after the match, Murray reflected on the defeat and expressed his disappointment with his performance.
“I’m pretty disappointed with it, to be honest, because I practised well last week,” he said (via Tennis Majors). "Obviously, I didn’t have high expectations going into the first tournament, I wasn’t expecting to play amazing tennis or feel great on the court, but certainly when you put a certain level of work in and that’s the performance that comes at the end of it, it’s pretty demoralising."
Murray further stated that he would talk to his team and take a call on his plans for the rest of the clay swing.
"It’s just whether I play the clay court season or whether I miss it. I have to have a long think about things with my team and what I do from here, in terms of where I train or do I stick on the clay. It was, it was pretty, pretty disappointing," he said.
The three-time Grand Slam champion further stated that following his Indian Wells campaign, things have gone downhill for him. He added that due to ATP rules, he might be forced to play the remainder of the clay season.
"After Indian Wells, everything has gotten tremendously worse, and I have to sit down with my team to see what decisions we make. The current ATP rules make my only options to play on the ground or not. It is hard to see that all the work I have done goes overboard in performances like this, it is not fun feelings for a professional tennis player that I am having," Murray added.
Earlier this year, Andy Murray expressed his desire to be seeded at a Grand Slam again. The veteran won't be allowed to play in any Challengers if he decides to skip any Masters 1000 events during the clay season.
"I didn't do anything well" - Andy Murray on playing "one of the worst" matches of his career
Andy Murray stated that he probably played one of the worst matches of his career during his opening-round loss at Monte-Carlo.
The 35-year-old reflected on his loss and said that he was not at his best during the match as he "didn't do anything well."
"I didn't do anything well, didn't serve well, return well, forehands, backhands, shot selection. It was one of the worst I've played in my career, probably," he said.
"It is impossible to get something positive out of this meeting, it was simply horrible," he added.
Andy Murray returned to Monte-Carlo for the first time since 2017, where he was defeated in the third round by Spain's Albert Ramos-Vinolas.