Andy Murray didn’t just disappoint on Thursday as he lost at the US Open. The former world No. 1 was discouraged by how he lost. He wins just eight games against 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov.
“It’s obviously disappointing not to play like you did. But maybe I need to accept that. In those events, I had deep runs and everything I felt like I was capable of, that won’t be there either,” Murray said.
“I know what I’m doing, it’s incredibly challenging to be playing at the high level I am now. And some days are harder than others. But yes, today is obviously a really disappointing defeat and maybe because of his style. I competed pretty hard, but just didn’t play well enough. Ultimately these are the events where you want to play your best tennis. And create more great moments and we didn’t do that this year”.
Andy Murray, who is 13-12 this season, lost in the third round in all three majors he played this year. The 36-year-old showed good form at Wimbledon, but ultimately fell in a tough five-setter against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
In New York, he was unable to fight his way into a match against Dimitrov.
“I think when you don’t play well, obviously it’s disappointing. But it can happen. At a high level if you don’t play at a high enough level, it’s very difficult to win,” Murray said.
“Whereas at Wimbledon, obviously when you’re playing at a good level and there’s probably a good draw and everything, it’s hard to take.”
Ranked No. 37 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Murray has been consistent throughout the year. He reached the final in Doha and winning three ATP Challenger Tour titles.
“I’m obviously progressing this year from a ranking standpoint,” Murray said.
“I had some great matches in Australia. Well, at the start of the year really, some amazing matches in Doha as well. I think I was close. You never know what’s going to happen. But I think I was close to having a good run at Wimbledon”.
“I still enjoy everything that goes into playing at a high level. Enjoy working, training and trying to improve and trying to get better. I still enjoy it, and that’s it. The thing keeps me going.”
Abdominal strain interrupted Murray’s North American hard-court summer, forcing him to withdraw mid-tournament before tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati.
He played a role in preventing Scott from earning a seed at the US Open. But Murray isn’t using that as an excuse.
If I want to make a deep run in these tournaments, I have to fight players like Gregor or Tsitsipas or whoever is in Australia, Beretini in the first round and Bautista in the third round. These are obviously the top players. Obviously being seeded avoids them quicker,” Murray said.
“But yeah, for me it’s more about your performance and whether I was seeded here in the top 32 or not, then I don’t think that warrants a deep run either.”