Andy Murray has admitted he would have liked his “up and down” year to have gone better “for sure” and outlined his intent to have a strong finish to the season.
The 36-year-old also highlighted the fact he recently reached his highest ranking since his hip surgery and feels he is “still going in the right direction.”
The former world No 1 has had some impressive moments in 2023, having won back-to-back five-set matches at the Australian Open and reached the final of the Qatar Open. The Brit has also won three titles on the ATP Challenger Tour.
Murray has been unable, though, to have the deep Grand Slam run he has been hoping for – losing in the third round in Melbourne and the second round at both Wimbledon and the US Open. He has not made it past the third round at his last 12 majors – a run stretching back to 2017.
The world No 41 is in action at the ATP 250 tournament in Zhuhai this week, where he defeated Chinese wildcard Ye Cong Mo 7-5, 6-3 in the opening round today.
Speaking ahead of the tournament in Zhuhai, Murray reflected on the highs and lows of his campaign so far as he heads into the Asian hard-court swing.
“Look, I would like the year to have gone better, for sure. There have been some good moments, but also some tough losses as well. It’s been up and down,” assessed the Brit.
“I got up to my highest ranking a few weeks ago since I had the hip operation so that’s positive and shows that although it’s not as fast a trajectory as I would have liked, I’m still going in the right direction.”
The three-time Grand Slam champion also discussed his return to Zhuhai, a tournament he played in its first and only previous edition in 2019.
“I’ve got an opportunity with these last five or six tournaments at the end of the year to have a strong finish, so that’s what I’m hoping for here,” said Murray
“I really enjoyed my last visit to Zhuhai. It’s a beautiful city and a great city with great fans. It’s great to be playing tennis in China again and I am really looking forward to coming back to play at the Hengqin International Tennis Centre.”
Murray represented Great Britain at the Davis Cup Finals group stage in Manchester last week and helped his nation top Group B to qualify for the knockout phase. The 36-year-old defeated Switzerland’s Leandro Reidi in straight sets in his only match as Great Britain won all three ties.
The two-time Olympic champion will face world No 63 Aslan Karatsev in the second round in Zhuhai.