By Jess Anderson
Andy Murray playing the Sydney Classic in January, 2022. Photo: Photosport
Great Britain's Andy Murray has suggested he may only have a "few months" left of his tennis career after earning his second win of 2024 in Dubai.
The 36-year-old beat Canadian Denis Shapovalov 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-3.
"I probably don't have too long left but I'll do as best as I can these last few months," he said after the victory.
Murray was on a six-match losing streak until last week when he secured his first win of the year in Doha.
"I still love competing and still love the game but it gets harder and harder to compete the older you get, to keep your body fit and fresh," he said.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Murray's potential retirement has been a topic of discussion for several years after the Scot underwent hip replacement surgery in 2019.
But Murray defied the odds to return to the court, winning another title and reaching three other finals, the last of which was last year when he lost to Daniil Medvedev in Doha.
This year, however, Murray lost his opening four matches of the 2024 season and said he was in a "terrible moment" but that he "won't quit" despite speculation around when he might decide to retire.
He had looked out of sorts at the Australian Open, and during two subsequent ATP Tour defeats in France, but had said he was determined to produce performances he knew he was still capable of.
Beating world number 75 Alexandre Muller last week in Doha was one of those performances but Murray went on to lose to 18-year-old Jakub Mensik, ranked 116th, in the second round and dropped to 67th in the world as a result.
During that match, Murray appeared to tell his box "this game is not for me any more" but, when asked about those comments in Dubai on Monday, he said: "People read a lot into what I say on the court and it's not always rational."
'Great to get 500 hard-court wins before I'm done'
A former champion at the Dubai Tennis Championships, Murray had to come from behind to beat 120th-ranked Shapovalov in a gruelling match lasting two hours and 33 minutes.
It marked his 500th career win on the hard court, joining Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi as the only men to complete the feat.
"Obviously hard courts have been a great surface for me over the years and 500 is a lot of matches. So yeah, I'm very proud of that. It's great to get that before I'm done," he said.
Former world number 10 Shapovalov dropped out of the world's top 100 after six months sidelined with injury but started strongly, converting a second break point before serving out the opening set as Murray showed his frustration by smashing his racquet into the court.
The pair traded breaks in the second set but neither could hold a decisive lead and Murray came out on top in the tie-break to draw level.
The two-time Wimbledon champion then broke in the first game of the deciding set, holding his nerve to take the win with his first match point when Shapovalov slammed his return into the net.
- This was first published by the BBC