Andy Murray will depart Roland Garros, probably for the final time, proud of his legacy at the French Open.
The 37-year-old Scot, still expected to retire this year despite some recent wavering, was beaten in the first round by fellow veteran Stan Wawrinka.
Murray never won the French Open, due chiefly to the dominance of Rafael Nadal and, to a lesser extent, Novak Djokovic.
But on his least favourite surface, and one that he has struggled on physically, Murray still reached the final in 2016 where he was runner-up to Djokovic.
“Yeah, I did really well here over the years,” he said. “You know, a lot of results and stuff, I think the issue for me is that when you compare it to what Rafa or Novak achieved in the same time, it obviously is minuscule in comparison.
“But yeah, most players would sign up for the results I’ve had here. I played a final, I think four semis and made the quarters a couple of times as well. I lost in the semis to Novak in five, Stan in five, and twice to Rafa. Obviously no shame in that.
“In a different time maybe the results would have been a bit different. But I’m proud of the results that I had here. I had great memories.
“It was not an easy surface for me. But I always showed up and, you know, put in some strong performances, considering. And yeah, it was a good run here over the years.”
The former world number one was well beaten by Wawrinka, 6-4 6-4 6-2 under the lights on Court Philippe Chatrier.
It was a familiar feeling for Murray, whose last three matches on the Paris clay have now ended in defeat to his Swiss rival.
The first was the epic semi-final defeat in five brutal sets in 2017, a match which ultimately proved too much for Murray’s hip and almost forced him into retirement.
This one was more like the second, a straight-sets first-round defeat in 2020, but it has probably still nudged Murray another step closer to calling it a day.
Murray has, of course, provided plenty of unforgettable late-night drama over the years. But sadly, it looks as though the well has finally run dry.
In fairness, the two-time Wimbledon winner had done well just to get here having ruptured ankle ligaments nine weeks ago.
“I wish I could have done a little bit better,” he added. “Disappointed but, you know, I didn’t have extremely high expectations with the way the preparation had been coming in.
Most players would sign up for the results I've had here— Andy Murray
“But obviously I would have liked to have done better tonight.”
Murray, who had a long conversation – a “private” one, he insisted – over the net with his opponent, still plans to play in the doubles with fellow Brit Dan Evans.
“Physically tennis is not easy for me nowadays,” he said. “It’s hard and clay has always been a surface that since the very beginning of my career I’ve had back issues on.
“It had been a bit of a struggle in the training and in the build-up, but I felt pretty good going into the match tonight, considering. Hopefully I’ll be fine for the doubles.”
