Andy Murray hinted he is entering the “final months” of his tennis career after sealing his second win of 2024 with a set-less victory over Denis Shapovalov in the first round of the Dubai Open. .
The three-time Grand Slam champion, who was forced to fend off retirement rumors after a series of losses in the first round, looked set for another early exit when top-10 player Shapovalov took the first set.
Murray struggled to break the 24-year-old Canadian opponent’s serve but produced a trademark brave performance in the second set to take the lead in the tie-break and then kept his cool in the decider, twice Breaking serve, leading 4-6, 7. -6 (5), 6-3 win after 2 hours and 33 minutes.
The victory made Murray the fifth man in the Open Era to achieve 500 tour-level wins on hard courts. However, Murray’s long-term future following his win has once again become a hot topic as he admitted he may not have “a lot of time left” in the sport.
“People sometimes interpret a lot into what I say on the court, and not always rationally,” Murray said. “I obviously still love the game, still love the sport, but as I get older it becomes more and more difficult to compete with younger guys and stay fit and active.
“[It’s] It won’t be easy and I may not have much time left, but I will do my best in the last few months,” the 36-year-old added. Murray will face fifth seed Ugo Humbert or wildcard Gael Monfils in the second round.
Shapovalov made his intentions clear with three aces in the first service game, before the pair traded some hold points early on. The first break point opportunity did not come until the ninth game. Murray saved the game from 15-40 behind, but Shapovalov defeated him in a long exchange in the next point to win 5-4. lead.
Murray’s frustration showed when a wayward backhand from Murray gave Shapovalov the initiative and threw his racquet onto the court. The Canadian ended the opening game with two more aces.
The former world number one reacted strongly at the start of the second set and successfully challenged his serve three times. Murray then had his first break point opportunity, and although that break point came and went, the 36-year-old did break Shapovalov the next time he claimed a 3-1 lead.
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Shapovalov sent two double faults to set up Murray’s lead, but he immediately hit back with a break of his own before cementing his lead in a 10-minute serve that included a 137mph ace .
In the second set, Murray had to use his fighting skills to chase the score to 4-4 and eventually enter the tie-break. A few minor breaks ensued, but Murray ensured the game went smoothly, and he had a great duel with Shapovalov after finding the back of the net to claim victory in the 75-minute match.
Shapovalov’s serve cost him near the end of the second set, and he continued to struggle with two double faults at the start of the third set. Murray consolidated the victory of the game through consecutive quick service breaks and was getting closer and closer to a precious victory. He struggled to hold serve in the eighth game of the deciding set, but broke serve again and won the 500th hard-court victory of his career.
“Five hundred games is a lot, so I’m very proud of that… not many players can do that,” Murray said. Only Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal have won more on the ground.
