Andy Murray suffered his earliest Wimbledon exit in 16 years on Friday when he was beaten in the third round by world No 12 Denis Shapovalov and was left asking himself: “Is it worth it?”
Two-time champion Murray, who has been locked in a lengthy battle against hip and groin injuries, and is now ranked at 118, went down 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.
It was the first time the 2013 and 2016 champion had lost in the third round since his debut as an 18-year-old in 2005.
“There is a part of me that feels a bit like I have put in so much work the last three months and ultimately didn’t play how I would want and expect, and it’s like is it worth it?,” said 34-year-old Murray.
“Is all of that training and everything that you’re doing in the gym, unless you’re able to practice and improve your game and get matches and continue, get a run of tournaments, is it worth all of the work that you’re doing?”
Murray came close to quitting the sport in 2019 when he questioned if he’d ever return to the heights of his career. Hip surgery followed and eventually he returned to the courts.
But it has been slow progress for the former world number one who was playing singles at Wimbledon for the first time since 2017. Friday’s match was just his eighth on the main tour of 2021.
He missed 11 months of action between 2017 and 2018 and then another seven months after his tearful exit at the 2019 Australian Open.
At this year’s Wimbledon, he saw off 24th-seeded Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round but needed five sets to defeat German qualifier Oscar Otte.
“There have been great memories from this event and playing in some brilliant atmospheres,” Murray added.
“But also I finished the match tonight and I’m saying to my team, I’m just not happy with how I played.
“So unless me and my team can find a way of keeping me on the court for a consistent period of time and allow me to practice the way that I need to to compete with these guys, then that’s when the discussions about what I do next will come in.”