'I won't quit': Andy Murray issues defiant message in face of critics after Montpellier loss

Scot admits that he struggling for form but vows to keep going in bid to turn around fortunes

Andy Murray says he will not “quit” professional tennis despite being in a “terrible moment right now” following his latest defeat by Benoit Paire.

The 36-year-old Scot lost his opening round match at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier to local favourite Paire, meaning Murray has only won one of his past nine matches. The three-time Grand Slam champion and Olympic gold medallist suggested after his loss in the first round of the Australian Open that it may have been his last tie at Melbourne Park and spoke on the eve of the new season that 2024 could be his last on tour. However, in the wake of losing to Paire, he hit out on social media at suggestions that he is “tarnishing his legacy” by continuing to play.

Murray wrote in response to an article on him: “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 but not me. But I’m not most people and my mind works differently. I won’t quit. I will keep fighting and working to produce my performances I know I’m capable of.”

Murray, who is currently ranked 49 in the world, is due to play in Marseille next week and is entered into further events in Doha and Dubai in February.