The pundit for Sky Sports Tennis believes that the three-time champion in Grand Slam tournaments still has the potential to achieve positive outcomes, despite not winning any matches so far in 2024.
Robson compared this player to another individual who has also won three Grand Slam titles, Stan Wawrinka from Switzerland. Wawrinka has faced similar challenges with injuries in recent years, but managed to climb back into the top 50 rankings last year after being ranked outside the top 300 in 2022.
Expressing his thoughts to Express Sport, Robson stated, “He is still maintaining a relatively high ranking. What people may not fully understand is that he is actually performing quite well. Perhaps he may not be achieving the exceptional results that one would expect from a player with multiple Grand Slam victories, but at the same time, Stan Wawrinka finds himself in a very similar situation.”
These two players were widely recognized as the only serious contenders against the dominant trio of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal during their decade-long reign in the ATP Tour. As a result, they earned the nickname the “Big Five.”
Continuing to refer to Wawrinka, Robson added, “I feel like no one is really questioning when he will retire, and for some reason, that line of inquiry doesn’t come up as frequently. So, I believe that Andy still has a lot of potential left in him, and I think he has a particular tournament in mind where he hopes to make a significant impact, although that plan is subject to constant changes.”
Murray has previously hinted that 2024 may be his final year in professional tennis but has not made a definitive statement about retirement. This has led to much speculation among fans and experts.
In his most recent appearance at the Marseille ATP 250 event, the winner of the Olympic singles gold medal in 2012 suffered a 5-7, 4-6 defeat to 23-year-old Czech player Tomas Machac in the opening round. This loss marked his fourth consecutive defeat in the first round and added to his winless streak in 2024.
Currently ranked 50th in the world, Murray has lost his last six competitive matches and nine out of his last 10 since September. However, he was the only player to win a set against Grigor Dimitrov, the eventual champion of the Brisbane International tournament in January.
Murray responded defiantly to a recent article from BBC Sport suggesting that he should retire, which argued that he risked damaging his reputation by continuing to play despite his disappointing results.
The former world number one, known for his presence on X (formerly Twitter), replied, “Damaging my reputation? Give me a break.”
He further stated, “Most individuals in my situation would quit and give up. But I am not like most people, and my mindset is different. I will not quit. I will continue to fight and strive to deliver the performances that I know I am capable of.”
Former Wimbledon junior champion Robson, along with former British number one Tim Henman, has expressed similar sentiments to Murray. Robson achieved her highest career ranking of 27th in the world in 2013 and partnered with Murray in the mixed doubles event at the 2012 London Olympics, where they earned a silver medal.
According to the Source tennis365.com