Andy Murray: Every time I lose I’m getting told to retire

Former world No. 1 Andy Murray has said that every match for him now feels like he is playing for his career because every time he loses he gets told to retire. 

Murray, who underwent two hip surgeries in recent years, is set to turn 34 years of age in May but he is still trying to work his way back to the top of the game. 

Murray, now ranked at No. 123 in the world, claimed his first ATP win of the season on Monday after recovering from a set down to beat Dutch Robin Haase 2-6 7-6 (2) 6-3 in the Rotterdam first round. 

“It’s not easy,” Murray said after his first tour-level win since August, per The Herald Scotland. “Every time I lose a match I’m getting told to retire, that I should stop playing, that I’m finished and got nothing left or whatever and it’s sad and all of these things.''

Murray didn't have a promising start to his Haase clash

Last week, Murray suffered a straight-set defeat to Egor Gerasimov in the Montpellier first round. 

This week, Murray was on the brink of another straight-set defeat but he won a tight second set and then won the third set to progress into the Rotterdam round-of-16. 

“It’s not easy. I feel like I’m playing for my career just now, each time I step on court, which is a motivation in some ways,'' Murray said. 

“But it also adds a bit of extra stress. There’s a bit of extra doubt there and on top of that I’m playing with a metal hip, which is hard. Trust me, it’s not easy.

“So it’s a big challenge for me just now and one that I’ll meet head on, but it’s not easy just now. The last few months have been a bit of a struggle.”

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/309iJ1u