Five-time Australian Open finalist Andy Murray says his well being and household will dictate any retirement plans, not whether or not he can return to grand-slam glory.
The 35-year-old former world No.1 ramped up preparations to play in his fifteenth Open with a comeback win over China’s Zhang Zhizhen on the Kooyong Classic on Wednesday.
Murray was out of types early however fired as much as take the match in an excellent tiebreak 2-6 6-3 10-2.
The Scotsman moved nicely within the scorching situations in Melbourne, discovering his groove within the second set after his low season was interrupted by sickness.
He confirmed no indicators of the cramping which hindered a few of his matches final yr.
“I felt pretty rushed at the beginning and a little bit slow on my feet but once I started to adjust to the court I started to hit the ball quite nicely,” Murray advised reporters.
“I had some issues with cramping in the middle to end of last year which was frustrating.
“I performed (Matteo) Berrettini on the US Open and it was a four-hour match and I used to be nice.
“I’m still not sure of the reasons behind it (cramping) but I’ve made a few changes and done a lot of work in the off-season to give myself a chance to be OK.”
Undergoing two rounds of main hip surgical procedure in 2018 and 2019, Murray has not gained a title since 2019 whereas his most up-to-date main got here at Wimbledon in 2016, the identical yr he efficiently defended his Olympic singles gold medal.
He reached the Australian Open last 5 occasions between 2010 and 2016 however in heartbreaking style by no means managed to carry the Norman Brookes trophy.
While his rating has climbed again to world No.49, the ageing Murray doesn’t seem more likely to be a contender for a fourth grand-slam title.
But that isn’t going to power him into retirement.
“As long as my body is holding up well and I am able to train properly so that I can go on the court and perform to a level that I am still enjoying then I will keep going,” the daddy of 4 mentioned.
“I don’t know on a time frame or anything like that – if I have the support of my family to keep doing it then I will keep going, if I’m healthy.
“The final seven months, there was frustration in there however I’ve loved it as a result of once I stand up to practise I do not fear about an damage.
“I’m not waking up with lots of aches and pains like I was the last few years – I found that hard.”
