Martina Navratilova stands with Andy Murray's retirement stance amid persistent speculations
Tennis great Martina Navratilova has given her approval to Andy Murray's stance on retirement amid persistent speculation surrounding the Brit's future.
Murray, 36, is evidently past his prime on the tennis court but continues to participate in tournaments on a regular basis. There have been calls for him to retire, especially on social media, given his drop in form but he has remained adamant that he will exit the sport on his own terms.
Murray has stated that he will decrease his participation in tournaments beyond this summer but has still refused to put an exact timeline on when he will hang up his racquet. In fresh comments made to the Times, he once again reiterated that he will not stop playing tennis as long as he enjoys being on the court.
"The decision is my decision to be made, not anyone else’s. I don’t see why there should be a keenness for people to stop doing what it is that they enjoy doing", said the Brit.
The LTA posted Murray's comments on their X (formerly Twitter) account, which drew a response from Navratilova. The 18-time singles Major winner quoted the tweet and wrote:
"Exactly!!!:)"
Navratilova, now 67, retired from the tour in 2006 after winning the US Open in the mixed doubles category that year at the age of 49. This was her 59th overall Grand Slam title and her 10th in the mixed doubles category.
Murray, meanwhile, has won three Grand Slam singles titles, with his last triumph coming in 2016 at Wimbledon. He has 46 singles titles to his name but hasn't won any on the main tour since triumphing at the 2019 European Open in Antwerp.
Andy Murray sends message after Miami Masters 1R win vs Matteo Berrettini
Andy Murray scored a determined 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 comeback win over Italy's Matteo Berrettini in his first-round match at the 2024 Miami Masters.
Before entering the second leg of the Sunshine Double, Murray didn't win more than two matches at any of the seven tournaments he participated in this year. This included four first-round exits.
After his dogged win against Berrettini, Murray took a pen and wrote on the camera:
"Life in the old dog yet! :)"
Murray will now face Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the second round of the ATP 1000 in Miami. This will be a rematch of their first-round encounter at the Australian Open this year, where the 24-year-old Argentine, a former World No. 27, won in straight sets.