Andy Murray is trying to squeeze every last drop out of his career.
Andy Murray has shown his dedication to his career after conducting a meticulous experiment to try and improve despite planning to retire this year. The former world No. 1 has started trialling a Yonex racket – a drastic change given that he has used Head equipment for 20 years. And Murray went to extreme lengths to find a racket that would help him squeeze more out of the remainder of his career.
Earlier this year, Murray announced that he would likely stop playing this summer. The three-time Grand Slam champion has yet to pick a farewell tournament but, if he sticks to his plans, he will have just a few months left of his career.
But the world No. 77 isn’t slowing down and is making sure that he can keep improving right up until the moment he hangs up his racket. That racket will be a different one than the Head model he has used throughout his career, as Murray tried out a Yonex stick during the Bordeaux Challenger this week.
Showing his work ethic, the 37-year-old explained that he rocked up to a shop and picked up supplies to conduct his own tests on several rackets during his recent injury layoff. “When I lost in Miami, I went to a sports shop and I bought about 10 rackets,” Murray said in Bordeaux.
While players are usually supplied with rackets by their sponsors and can have their teams do the tests, Murray took matters into his own hands when he was sidelined by an ankle injury for several weeks. Explaining the lengths he went to, he continued: “I bought a machine to weigh the rackets, check the balance and swingweight of the rackets. I bought lead tape.
“I measured all the rackets myself. It was something to do when I was injured. I tried lots of different rackets. I tested them with Hawkeye when I was able to.” It’s a drastic change to make at any stage in a player’s career, especially at the back end of it.
But Murray wanted to keep up with the demands of the game, even if it meant adjusting to new equipment with his retirement a few months away. “I’ve been playing with the same racquet for 20 years and in that time, things change,” he added.
“The game has changed. I used the same string as well for all of that time.” The Yonex model served him well in his opening match at the Bordeaux Challenger, where he led Kyrian Jacquet 7-5 2-0 before the French qualifier retired.
But he lost to Gregoire Barrere 6-4 6-2 in the second round on Thursday. The clay Challenger event was Murray’s first tournament since he ruptured his ankle ligaments during his third-round defeat at the Miami Open in March. The world No. 77 will now head to Geneva for the ATP 250 event before playing the French Open for the final time.
