Andy Murray claims he must work harder to succeed in tennis after a "pretty downbeat" period in the sport.
Murray has struggled to regain top form since undergoing two hip surgeries, but his results have improved in 2022 with a steady rise from No 134 into the top 50 in the world rankings. The three-time Grand Slam champion has reached finals in Sydney and Stuttgart, but a mystery cramp injury has impacted underwhelming results in the final stages of the season.
The defeat to veteran Giles Simon at the Paris Masters brought a sombre close to a campaign in which serious strides have been made. Murray's frustrating cramp problem returned in his first round exit, clearly hindering the Brit's ability to perform.
The 35-year-old's cramp also impacted his US Open last-32 exit and a dip in form could be attributed to the recurring problem. The two-time Wimbledon winner remains determined to make inroads on the ATP Tour and has even undergone sweat testing in an attempt to solve his cramp concerns.
But while he has improved his recovery between matches of late, Murray has cut a frustrated figure amidst a downturn in form. And the former world No 1 insists his training regime must become more intense if his body is to cope with the rigours of high-level matches.
"I was pretty downbeat with the last few months," Murray told the Evening Standard . 'The last seven or eight tournaments, I had issues with cramping and I've never had that consistently. So, I'm extremely disappointed.
"I can deal with losing a tennis match as it's a difficult sport and you sometimes don't perform as well as you'd like but there's no excuse for being let down physically. My reflection on the last four or five months is that I've not been doing enough work to perform at the level I need to. I need to change that if I want to get back to the top of the game."
He added: "I'm positive about next season and the work I have to do," he said. "I've already started some of that and I need to empty the tank in the next six to eight weeks in the gym and on the practice court.
"I was 130-140 in the world at the start of the season and I'm now inside the top 50. For most players, that's a really positive year. For me, I don't view it that way but I did make progress. There's no guarantee I would have won those matches without the cramping but I feel there would have been potentially deeper runs."
