"Tarnishing my legacy?" - Andy Murray shuts down journalist speculating about Brit's retirement amidst poor form

Andy Murray recently hit back at a journalist who was speculating about his retirement, following his poor form and struggles on the court.

Murray's 2024 season got off to a forgettable start as he faced early exits in all three tournaments he participated in — the Brisbane International, the Australian Open, and the Open Sud de France.

In Brisbane, Murray lost 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 to the eventual champion, Grigor Dimitrov, in the first round. The Australian Open brought further disappointment for the former World No. 1 as he was defeated 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 in the first round by the 30th-seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

Most recently, Andy Murray participated in the Open Sud de France - Montpellier, where he faced another first-round defeat, this time at the hands of Benoit Paire. The Frenchman defeated the 36-year-old 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 in two hours and 43 minutes in the ATP 250 event.

After Murray lost in France, BBC journalist Kheredine Idessane began speculating about the Brit's potential retirement from tennis.

"It’s been an incredible journey by a remarkable man," Idessane wrote on X. "And such a privilege to bear witness to large parts of it. All good things come to an end, of course. So when should @andy_murray call time on his extraordinary career?"

The three-time Grand Slam champion was quick to dismiss these speculations, asserting that he may be going through a challenging phase in his career at the moment, but has no intention of giving up yet.

Andy Murray expressed that in a situation where the majority would consider quitting, he "will keep fighting" and comeback back stronger with better performances.

"Tarnishing my legacy? Do me a favour. I’m in a terrible moment right now I’ll give you that. Most people would quit and give up in my situation right now. But I’m not most people and my mind works differently. I won’t quit. I will keep fighting and working to produce the performances I know I’m capable of," Murray posted on X (formerly Twitter).

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Andy Murray following his loss at Australian Open 2024: “It's a definite possibility that will be the last time I play here”

Andy Murray speaking to the press at the 2024 Australian Open

Following his defeat against Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the first round of the 2024 Australian Open, Andy Murray said that he may have played his final match at the Melbourne Slam.

“It's a definite possibility that will be the last time I play here. In comparison to the matches that I played here last year, it's the complete opposite feeling walking off the court. Yeah, wish I involved the crowd more. Just disappointed with the way I played… a tough, tough way to finish," Murray said [via ATPTour.com].

The five-time Australian Open finalist said he has an idea where he envisions concluding his playing career. However, he added that this decision is contingent upon his performance and current form.

“I have an idea of when I would probably like to finish playing. So much of that depends on how you're playing. The time frame for that narrows when you play and have results like today,” he said.

The former World No. 1 also mentioned that he has discussed his retirement with his family and team. However, he has not yet made the final decision regarding the timing of his departure from the sport.

“I've spoken to them about it. I've spoken to my family about it. I've spoken to my team about it. They’re very aware of how I feel about things, where I would like to finish playing, when that would be. I haven't made any definite decisions on that. It's obviously something that I need to think about and see exactly when that is,” Andy Murray said.