Andy Murray is seeking an improvement in results if he wants to compete at grand slams after exiting the Australian Open at the second round to Taro Daniel 6-4 6-4 6-4.
The three-time grand slam champion produced an underwhelming display as he lost in straight sets to the Japanese qualifier.
Murray looked flat-footed from the start as Daniel produced one of the best performances of his career to set up a third round meeting with either Jannik Sinner or Steve Johnson.
As for the Brit it was another grand slam where he failed to make the second week and said it was a frustrating night, “I’m really, really disappointed. Very frustrated.” Murray told the press conference.
“I felt like I got myself into good positions on the court. I made way too many errors today. I mean, he was solid the whole match. Didn’t give me too many errors. Which, to be fair, was what I was expecting from him. He moves well, and he’s very consistent. He doesn’t give matches to you.
“Yeah, wasn’t able to turn it around today, but he definitely was solid today. He moved well and deserved to win. But I was expecting him to play that way.”
Murray also spoke about his future in grand slams and claimed that if he produces performances like this one in the future then he may not be returning to the Australian Open, “But not if I do what I did tonight too often this season,” Murray said in response to whether he will come back next season.
“You know, this is a really important year for me for a number of reasons, and I want to perform well in the big events. For me, tonight is not good enough in that respect. You know, making second round of slams is not something I find particularly motivating. I want to be doing better than that.
“It’s not something that, again, that’s not what motivates me but moving up the rankings and getting seeded in tournaments helps, you know, give you the opportunity maybe to build your way into a tournament a little bit and maybe not have to come out and start playing really well straightaway and find your game a bit.
“I’m not sure I’ve lost a match to someone ranked outside 100 before in a slam. I don’t know. I don’t think I have. So from that respect it’s not a great loss for me.”
Murray now looks to regroup ahead of a tough season where he looks to regain his ranking into the top 50.
The Brit will head to the middle east to play Doha and Dubai next month before playing Indian Wells and Miami in March.
