EXCLUSIVE: Tim Henman and Laura Robson weighed in on Andy Murray’s future after he was forced to hit back at suggestions that he should retire.
Tim Henman believes that Andy Murray has “earned the right” to keep playing tennis following retirement suggestions. The three-time Grand Slam champion recently hit back at an article claiming that he was tarnishing his legacy by continuing to compete. And Henman told Express Sport that he wanted to see the former world No. 1 on the match court for as long as possible, looking to Wimbledon and the Olympics as opportunities for Murray to reverse his fortune.
Andy Murray is currently winless in 2024 and has gone 1-9 in his last 10 matches, with his latest victory coming in October. The 36-year-old has been forced to shut down retirement chat in recent days, stating: “I won’t quit” and confirming that he still loved competing. And his comments will be music to Henman’s ears, as the former British No. 1 supported Murray’s decision to keep playing.
“While obviously he has the energy and the enthusiasm and the hunger and desire and motivation to keep on playing, he should keep playing,” the former No. 4 told Express Sport. “A professional tennis player is the best job in the world and trust me, there’s plenty of time to be retired in the future.”
Henman understood why it was frustrating for Andy Murray to find himself in the middle of a six-match losing streak but he backed his compatriot to rediscover his winning ways. The new Sky Sports pundit continued: “He wants a return on his investment and he hasn’t had that recently because he’s been working as hard as ever and he hasn’t got the wins.
“But most importantly he has the belief that the wins will come. So as long as he wants to keep playing, I absolutely support that. And he’s earned the right to do that.” Knowing the work Murray had put in behind the scenes, Henman shared his wish to see it pay off after watching the 36-year-old lose a few close matches despite playing well.
“And he doesn’t want to be at these tournaments losing first round, he’s as motivated as he’s ever been and what he’s been able to do with a metal hip is amazing,” he added. “So I really hope that he can get some wins under his belt because there were plenty of times last year where I thought that he was playing some really good tennis.
“And I thought Wimbledon was a classic example of that. I thought he was very unlucky against [Stefanos] Tsitsipas to be up two sets to one and have to come back the next day. And so I really hope that he can have a change of fortune and get some wins.”
Laura Robson echoed Henman’s sentiment after witnessing Murray’s efforts in the off-season. The former world No. 27 told Express Sport: “It was frustrating I think because having seen him over the last few months, especially in the off-season. I knew he was working so hard and doing all the right things, as he always does because his preparation is as good as it’s going to get.
“You just hope that he can get it together because everything else is there. He’s still hitting the ball so nicely, still moving really well, definitely not as sharp as he once was for sure but that’s just age and of course the injuries that he’s had over the years.” Robson also explained why the constant retirement conversations were so frustrating when it came to Murray’s career.
Comparing him to fellow three-time Grand Slam winner Wawrinka, she continued: “He’s still ranked pretty high as well, this is what I feel like people don’t necessarily get is that he’s actually doing well. Maybe not these standout results you would expect from someone who’s won as many Slams as him but at the same time, Stan Wawrinka is in a very similar position.
“And I felt like no one’s really asking when he’s going to retire and that line of questioning doesn’t really come up as much for whatever reason. So I feel like Andy has got a lot of life left in him and I think he’s got a tournament in mind that he’s hoping to stop at but that pathway changes constantly.”
Henman and Robson were speaking ahead of the launch of the new Sky Sports Tennis channel, going live on February 11. “I think in terms of the channel it’s just going to be great that you can have something where you can just put it on throughout the day, watch in the background if there’s not a match that’s quite as exciting to you. The way that you’d sit and watch other sports basically. To have that on all day, every day is what I can’t wait to do at home,” Robson said.
