Andy Murray admits he has "great memories" of the French Open, after what was likely to be his final appearance in the men's singles at Roland Garros.
The three-time grand slam winner, back at the season's second major for the first time since 2020, was comfortably beaten in straight sets by 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka, who ran out a commanding 6-4 6-4 6-2 victor.
Murray, who gave an extended wave to the crowd as he exited Court Philippe-Chatrier, has repeatedly said he is approaching the end of his career, revealing in February that he does not "plan on playing much past this summer".
And the 2016 runner-up was in a reflective mood after the conclusion of his 12th singles campaign at the French Open, where he also reached four semi-finals and a further two quarter-finals.
"I did really well here over the years," he said. "I think the issue for me is that when you compare it to what Rafa [Nadal] or Novak [Djokovic] achieved in the same time, it obviously is minuscule," Murray said.
"But most players would sign up for the results I've had here. I lost to Novak in five [sets], Stan in five [sets], and twice to Rafa. Obviously, no shame in that.
"In a different time, maybe the results would have been a bit different. But I'm proud of the results that I had here, and I have great memories."
Murray's French Open is not yet over, as he will partner compatriot Dan Evans in the men's doubles event later this week.
Amid the constant question mark hanging over his future in tennis, the 37-year-old admits he still enjoys competing, despite his reduced fitness levels in recent years.
"My body isn't what it was 10 years ago. I'm fully aware of that," he added. "It takes a lot of time and effort to get it in a position to go out there and compete. It's not always perfect.
"But I still enjoy giving [it] a go and trying to get myself out there and be as competitive as possible.
"There has been a lot of talk about the right, or best, ways to go out from playing tennis. There is no perfect ending in most scenarios.
"I'd like to go out winning a match or winning a tournament, but it doesn't really happen that way for most players."
Medvedev survives early scare to beat Borges at Halle Open
Daniil Medvedev secured his spot in the next round of the Halle Open after fending off a valiant Nuno Borges in straight sets.
The world number five prevailed 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 on Monday to bounce back from his round-of-16 exit to Alex de Minaur at Roland-Garros.
Medvedev found himself behind early on as Borges won an early break point, but the Russian roared back to win the tiebreak 7-4.
Borges continued to match his opponent in the second set, but the former world number one showcased his endurance and class, finishing the contest in style to secure his place in the round of 16.
Medvedev will now face Zhizhen Zhang after his win over Sebastian Ofner earlier in the day.
Data Debrief: Med goes two for two
This duo first met at this year's Australian Open, with Medvedev winning on that occasion too.
It was a tight encounter this time around, as Medvedev was forced to save five break points, while also striking nine aces, but he made it two straight wins against Borges.
Rune struggles continue as he falls to Thompson at Queen's
A difficult spell for Holger Rune continued as the Dane was beaten by Jordan Thompson in the first round of the Queen's Club Championships on Monday.
Rune has fallen from a high of four down to number 15 in the ATP rankings and was unable to hold on to a lead in his match with Thompson in London.
Australian Thompson fought back to prevail 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 in an entertaining encounter against the seventh seed.
Rune made the semi-finals at Queen's and the quarter-finals of Wimbledon last year, but is now seriously lacking momentum as the third grand slam of 2024 fast approaches.
Elsewhere at the ATP 500 event, third seed Grigor Dimitrov is safely through after cruising past Adrian Mannarino 6-1 6-2 in only 63 minutes.
Dimitrov will face either Sebastian Korda or Karen Khachanov in the last 16.
Top seed and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz starts his campaign against Argentine Francisco Cerundolo on Tuesday.
That is also when Thompson’s compatriot and last year’s runner-up Alex de Minaur begins his tournament with what could be a testing clash against Italian Lorenzo Musetti.
Data Debrief: Thompson's serve sees off Rune
In the first career meeting between the two players, both Rune and Thompson were strong on serve. The three sets only produced two breaks – one from each player – in a battle that topped the two-hour mark.
Thompson came into the tournament on a five-match losing streak, but has often impressed on grass, with this being his 64th career win on the surface.
He had eight aces to just one double fault and crucially won 69 per cent (20/29) of his second-serve points, affording Rune just one break-point opportunity across the whole match.
Thompson added 27 winners and could face home hope Andy Murray next round if the Briton can defeat Alexei Popyrin.
As for Dimitrov, he recorded 28 winners and only five unforced errors in his impressive win over Mannarino. Having made the quarter-finals at the French Open, the Bulgarian looks poised to enter Wimbledon in good form.
Retiring at Wimbledon or the Olympics would be fitting, says Murray
Andy Murray has said it would be fitting to call time on his glistening tennis career at Wimbledon or the Paris Olympics this year.
The 37-year-old has prevailed in both competitions during his professional career, becoming the first British winner of the men's singles title since Fred Perry in 1936 at Wimbledon in 2013.
Murray also won gold on two occasions for Team GB in London 12 years ago and the Rio games in 2016. But when asked if he would compete in the US Open or the Davis Cup, he said: "I don’t think so.
"Probably if I was going to finish my career I would rather finish at Wimbledon or an Olympic Games - to me that would probably be more fitting."
"I've had amazing experiences and memories from Wimbledon, but also being part of British Olympics teams."
The former world number one will take part in the Queen's Club Championships and faces Alexei Popyrin on Monday, but revealed that he will not be playing as much over the next few months.
He said: "My plans haven't really changed. I'm not planning to playing much past this summer. I'll see how I feel in the next couple of weeks. There are lots of things to factor in to retirement from sport.
"I think in lots of careers, retirement is something you celebrate and people really look forward to that day – that's not something I feel. I love playing tennis.
"Ultimately, if physically you're not able to play to the level you want to, the results are not as you wish, those things factor into the decision."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
