Murray: “Alcaraz will be at the top of tennis for as long as he wants to play”

Andy Murray suffered a painful defeat this Wednesday against Dusan Lajovic in the first round of Indian Wells, that has slowed down Murray’s progression at the start of 2023.

In the press conference after the game Murray was very self-critical with his mistakes, noting that he did not move as well as in previous games. “I served very well, but the rest of the game has been a problem. I didn’t subtract well and I made a number of mistakes that I didn’t expect. I didn’t feel like I was moving well, and that’s important to me, because it’s something I did in most games this year. Some days you don’t hit the ball in the best way, but my movements weren’t good today.”

The Briton also wanted to point out the track change between Indian Wells and Miami, and how it could affect him. “I have trained very well, but it is a very different track than Indian Wells, much faster, and very different from the training track. The ball bounces a little higher and I was wrong at the moment to hit some balls. Sometimes with the balls cut they would stick out a bit more. I did not expect to play like this, because in the last days I have trained well”.

Murray also took advantage of the press conference to praise Carlos Alcaraz’s game and his versatility on all surfaces. “Alcaraz has an excellent and very complete game that is transferred to all surfaces. He’s not the tallest guy on tour, but he has a great serve. He is amazing movement and a fantastic athlete. He has a lot of variety, he plays a lot with the ball and it’s something that I hope he keeps,” he said in statements collected by Reuters.

A Murray who hopes that Alcaraz continues to maintain that style of play without fear. “I know from experience that it’s a little easier to play that way when you’re 18 or 19 and you don’t have fear. I hope you keep this style of play, because it is very exciting to watch”.

Finally, Murray asks that the pressure of winning 20 Grand Slams not be put on an Alcaraz whom he sees for many years in the tennis elite. “I know that there are many people who expect tennis players to win more than 20 Grand Slams, who see it as something normal. I wouldn’t predict this for anyone. But I imagine Alcaraz will be on top of the game for as long as he wants to play.”