Andy Murray confessed on Monday that his passion for tennis may be starting to fade after blowing a 5-2 lead in the final set to lose in the first round of the Paris Masters 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-5 to Alex de Minaur.
The 36-year-old lost on a net cord bounce which went against him and could not help but express his total frustration.
“I’m not really enjoying it just now,” he told British media post-match. “Just in terms of how I feel on the court and how I’m playing.
“For the last five, six months, there’s not really been much positivity there.
“When I play a good point, I’m not really getting behind myself.
“And then in the important moments, that will to win and fight that has always been a big, big part of my game …”
Murray was particularly stung by losing for a sixth time to his Aussie opponent on a fluke bounce: “I don’t remember finishing a match like that before,”
He added: ““The last few months it’s been more like that.
“I have found the matches frustrating, the competition not as enjoyable as it should be.
“And then in practice there’s just a lot of frustration there with my game.
“I’m spending a lot of time focusing on myself and how I’m feeling and how my shots are and just getting extremely frustrated with that. It’s not a great place to be on the court.”
