What they witnessed, though, was a shadow of that player in the final stages of his career as Murray was dismantled 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 by Etcheverry, the 30th seed, in one of his most crushing defeats of the past four years.
One year since the unforgettable sight of Murray dragging himself back from the brink of defeat through two marathon five-set matches to reach the third round, the world No 44 departed Melbourne Park having offered minimal resistance, a defeat that will only elicit further questions about his future. Murray has now lost seven of his past eight matches and he has started the season with a 0-2 record.
Murray opted to collect himself and wait before dissecting his performance rather than immediately walking from the court to his media conference, as has often been the case during his career. Even with some time to digest his performance, he could not explain why he played so poorly and his demeanour was so flat.
"It was a poor performance," he said. "It was very, very flat. It was an amazing crowd out there that were ... I felt like they were trying to pick me up, support and get behind me.
"Usually I would always engage the crowd and get them going and bring some energy into the match.
It was really just a flat performance.
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin January 16, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin January 16, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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