'Still able to compete with best players': Andy Murray ahead of Citi Open

Ahead of the upcoming Citi Open the former World No 1 Andy Murray said that it surprised him that his game is still able to match up with the best players Andy Murray has experienced his fair share of losses since a hip surgery in 2019Murray is demonstrating to himself and the rest of the world that regardless of the outcome he still competes on par with the worlds top athletes That accomplishment alone is a triumph for someone who is 36 and competes with a metal hipldquoIm surprised by that sometimes because I know how difficult it is for me physically now That my game is still able to match up and compete with the best players yeah Im surprised by it Murray who is competing this week at the Citi Open exclusively told ATPTourcomMurray who is ranked No 42 in the ATP Rankings is notable for having defeated tough opponents Matteo Berrettini and Thanasi Kokkinakis in two fiveset matches in this years Australian Open But the Scot is still making a lot of effort to not just compete with the greatest but to outperform them on the biggest platforms in the worldldquoIts hard because ultimately I would say in maybe certain events or certain periods of the year its easier to not ignore the results but not place too much emphasis on them But obviously when you play in the major competitions they are the ones that ultimately you want to perform well in and that you will get judged on and at Wimbledon it really wasnt like I played a really bad match against Tsitsipas So when I reflect on that tournament Im disappointed with the result Murray saidAlso Read To play or not to play that is the questionldquoBut theres still signs for me there that from a tennis perspective I can still compete and win against the top players in the world even though I lost that match If Id gone out and lost 61 61 61 I played terribly and lost comfortably the stage of my career that Im at maybe Irsquod start to look at things a bit differently said the former World No 1 In his outstanding career Murray has accomplished a lot more climbed to World No 1 claimed three major championships and moreHowever despite the challenges he has encountered the 46time tourlevel champion is still looking for ways to improve ldquoObviously the game always keeps evolving keeps improving and you need to do that as well as a player And I enjoy that Its one of the things that motivates me mdash trying to improve mdash whether thats on the court or in the gymrdquo Murray saidldquoLike seeing my scores in the gym are improving or that my speed is getting a bit better or that Im serving at a slightly higher percentage or harder I love that Its one of the great things about tennis in that thats kind of down to me and my team I can make that those changes if I want to and if Im willing to put the work in and I still enjoy that he addedMurray reached the final in Washington that year and he will be hoping for another strong showing this week in the nations capital The 15th seed is eager to make a strong start to his hardcourt season after training hard to improve his fitness in order to get ready for the hot and muggy conditions this swing brings He will take on Brandon Nakashima or Aleksandar Vukic in the opening roundThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever