Andy Murray's favourite athlete during his teenage years was Barcelona forward Ronaldinho (Image: Getty)
Tennis fans have taken note of Andy Murray’s latest cryptic Instagram story after the Brit suffered another injury setback before the Davis Cup.
Tennis legend Andy Murray has left fans both confused and concerned with his latest social media post. The 36-year-old is a former world No. 1 and a three-time Grand Slam winner in an era of tennis dominated by Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal.
In recent years, Murray has struggled with injuries – the worst being his hip. The Brit has a metal hip following surgery in 2019. He hasn’t been able to recapture the form from his glory days and has not passed the third round of a Grand Slam tournament since 2017.
In last year’s Grand Slam cycle, Murray competed at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open but skipped the French Open. His best finish came Down Under, where he was KO’d in the third round by Roberto Bautista Agut in four sets.
Despite his woes on the court, Murray has insisted retirement is not in his plans in the next year or so. “I mean, I have an idea in my head of when I would like to stop,” Murray said earlier this year. “That’s not definitive. A lot of that is just I think it is good to do that so you can start planning a little bit. I’m aware, based on how my last sort of five, six years have gone, that things can change very quickly, as well. I’m keeping an open mind to that. Yeah, I do have an idea of when I’d like to stop, yeah.”
Murray hasn’t passed the third round of a Grand Slam since 2017[/caption
And in a potential hint that he’s not walking away from the sport yet, Murray posted a “success tip” on his Instagram story. The picture shows a single man walking the opposite way to a mass crowd. “It’s better to walk alone than with a crowd going in the wrong direction,” it read.
But the post has tennis fans confused and concerned for Murray. One said: “This is the least Andy Murray thing I’ve ever seen Andy do.” Another added: “Okay, Andy is either a 60 or 16 years old.”
A confused tennis fan wondered if there was more to the post then what it seems, asking: “Is he talking about Djokovic?”
“I feel like he’s been wanting to say this for ages to the people who keep saying he should just retire,” another posed. “Fair play to him I say. Whatever tournament he is in, whoever he’s playing, you can guarantee his match will be a banger.” A seperate fan simply said: “What’s this about? I don’t get it.”
Murray was set to compete for GB in the Davis Cup. However, a shoulder injury saw him pull out ahead of the No. 23 clash with a 24-Grand Slam Novak Djokovic-led Serbia. “I’ve picked up a minor shoulder injury which means I won’t be able to take part in the Davis Cup,” Murray said. “I’m gutted not to be part of the squad but my focus is now on rehab and getting ready for the new season.”
Liam Broady replaced Murray before Serbia won the tie 2-0. “It’s not the way I’d have wanted to be called up, but as always I take great pride in representing Great Britain,” Broady, 29, said. “I can’t wait to help the team progress through the tournament in any way I can.”
