It was a case of what could have been for Andy Murray after he was outlasted by an inspired Kei Nishikori at the US Open. The disappointment was visible on Murray’s face as he entered his press conference, but he will still embark on the upcoming Asian swing as a winner.
Since his schooling by Novak Djokovic at the French Open, the world No.2 has excelled over the summer with an ATP 500 title, a grand slam trophy and an Olympic gold medal. It is an accomplishment that every player on the tour would love to achieve. After enjoying such a successful summer, it is perhaps a reason as to why Murray is remaining calm about his latest loss to his gutsy opponent in New York.
“I’m not disappointed in a way. Obviously I would have loved to have won, but I have had a good run every match. I would have loved to have gone further, but it wasn’t to be today.” He said in a very diplomatic fashion.
There were certainly many chances for the Brit to take control of the match as he lead by a set and a break followed by a double chance to break for a lead in the fourth set. It was during the fourth set when Murray had a heated conversation with officials. During one of his rallies, play was halted due to a sudden noise, however, Murray swiftly pointed out that he was earlier told to keep playing regardless of any noises. That certain incident resulted in a collapse in Murray’s mentality, however, he has since dismissed the significance of the situation.
“Stopped the point, and I was just curious why that was and that was it.” Murray bluntly recalled.
Labelling Murray’s latest exit as a shock would be an offense to his opponent, who has previously excelled in the tournament by reaching the 2014 final. Despite suffering his first five sets loss at the US Open since he was 18-years-old, Murray exits New York with a sense of pride about his summer achievements.
“I have not let anyone down. I tried my best. I fought as hard as I could with what I had today. I didn’t let anyone down. Certainly not myself. I pushed myself as hard as I could over the last few months, and I’m very proud of how I have done.” The world No.2 stated.
“If someone had offered me the summer that I have had before Wimbledon, I probably would have signed for that.”
Murray will soon travel back to his home city of Glasgow as Great Britain prepare for their upcoming Davis Cup semi-final clash against Argentina. The Brit is unsure about his exact plans prior to the event as he tries to balance his Davis Cup duties with rest and recovery.
“I need a lot of energy for those ties. Davis Cup does take a lot out of you over the weekend. It’s tough, especially if you play all three days.” The world No.2 said about the upcoming clash.
“I’ll need to be smart the next few days to make sure that not only physically I recover, but mentally, as well, because it’s always a stressful few days.” He concluded.
The Davis Cup will begin on September 18th with Murray headlining the British campaign.
