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Andy Murray drops new retirement hint after French Open exit

Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images
Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images
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Much of the talk around the French Open has focused on Rafael Nadal, which is unsurprising given his enormous success at the tournament.

The Spaniard has been the top player at Roland-Garros, but may just have played the competition for the final time.

Nadal has been somewhat coy about his retirement plans, with his potential French Open farewell ending after just one round, after defeat to Alexander Zverev.

Nadal certainly put up a fight as his in-form opponent eventually came out on top 6-3 7-6 (7-5) 6-3, with the former later revealing that he was able to move much more freely than in previous tournaments.

2024 French Open - Day 1
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Andy Murray opens up on retirement plans

The Spanish star isn’t, however, the only player to have potentially played his final French Open ahead of a possible retirement.

Andy Murray may have also played at Roland Garros for the final time after a 6-4 6-4 6-2 loss to Stan Wawrinka.

Like Nadal, Murray has also struggled with fitness issues in recent years, which has led to his results taking a turn for the worse.

The two-time Wimbledon winner has regularly been competitive in matches but has had real struggles getting over the line or landing the sort of consistent results that he regularly managed in the peak of his career.

Murray’s performance against Wawrinka wasn’t a particularly poor one, but the Swiss has always been a difficult opponent for him, especially on clay, and he did look outmatched for much of the contest.

“There has been a lot of talk about the right, or best, ways to go out from playing tennis. There is no perfect ending in most scenarios,” Murray admitted on BBC Radio 5 Live.

“I’d like to go out with winning a match or winning a tournament but it doesn’t really happen that way for most players.”

Can Andy Murray go out on a high?

If Murray is to retire after winning a tournament then his performances are going to have to improve and his best chances of glory may come on the grass courts, where he is particularly dangerous.

Murray did triumph at Surbiton last year before giving a really credible performance against Stefanos Tsitsipas at Wimbledon and eventually losing in five sets.

Murray’s tough draw at Roland Garros ultimately meant that it was never likely that he was going to progress far in a competition, on what is his weakest surface.

But it does mean that his record this year to date now stands at five wins and nine losses.

The Brit certainly does deserve to go out on a high, but whether his body allows him to is another matter entirely.

He is still competing at the French Open, having entered the men’s doubles alongside Dan Evans.