ANDY MURRAY ranted “it’s not for me anymore” during his defeat to Jakub Mensik.
Having grabbed his first win of the season yesterday by beating Alexandre Muller in Doha, the 36-year-old took on teenager Mensik in round two.
AFPAndy Murray showed his frustrations out on court[/caption]
AFPThe 36-year-old was taking on teenager Jakub Mensik[/caption]
After squandering a break point opportunity by dumping a forehand into the net at 5-5 all in the first set, Murray turned towards his player box.
Upset with his miss, he could be seen saying: “This game is not for me anymore”
Reacting to Murray’s rant, one fan wrote on social media: “Go on Andy! backing you to provide one last run of quality.”
While a second added: “The fact that he has kept his passion for the game to this point is impressive.”
The three-time major champion went on to lose to a tennis teen who was not even born when he made his Wimbledon bow.
The Scotsman fell to 18-year-old Mensik by the narrowest of margins in a marathon match in the last 16 of the Qatar Open.
Big-serving Czech Mensik prevailed 7-6 6-7 7-6 in three hours and 23 minutes, which is the longest singles match ever witnessed in Doha.
The world No.116 was born in September 2005 – more than two months after Murray’s first appearance in senior whites at SW19.
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Murray, 36, refused to buckle and fought back to force a third successive tie-break after being 5-2 down in the final set.
Mensik, who now plays Russian No.1 seed Andrey Rublev, has moved into a first-ever ATP Tour quarter-final.
He said: “I’m just speechless, I don’t know what to say.
“I know lots of fans here wanted Andy to win but hopefully you guys can come out and watch my next match.
“It was a tough match. When I was young, I was watching Murray on TV winning Wimbledon two times.
“So it’s amazing that in this age he is still competing with the best players in the world. He’s a great player and good luck to him in the next tournament.
“There were absolutely some nerves from me. The first set was tough conditions, the wind started and the tiebreak was not good quality. In the end, I was a little lucky.
“It was great to be 5-2 up in the third set and having the serve.
“So when it went 5-5, I just said to myself: ‘Come on, this guy is not giving me any points. Just try to stay calm in the tiebreak.’ I’m super happy I stayed focused until the end.”
Murray recently vowed not to quit after a BBC column questioned whether he may be “tarnishing his legacy”.
He roared back on social media: “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.”
AFPMensik, 18, celebrates his big win[/caption]