Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 15, 2024 Britain's Andy Murray in action during his first round match against Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry REUTERS/Tracey Nearmy/File Photo
(Reuters) - Three-times Grand Slam champion Andy Murray hit back at suggestions he could "damage his legacy" if he continues his career after the 36-year-old Scot suffered a third straight first-round exit to start the season.
Murray breathed new life into his career after having hip-resurfacing surgery in 2019 but has struggled to reach the latter stages of the top events. He has failed to go beyond the third round of a Grand Slam since reaching the Wimbledon quarters in 2017.
After first-round exits at Brisbane and Melbourne Park, Murray's defeat by Frenchman Benoit Paire in Montpellier on Tuesday prompted a BBC reporter to ask the question: "At what point does bravely soldiering on start to damage his legacy?"
"Tarnishing my legacy? Do me a favour," Murray responded on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
"I'm in a terrible moment right now I'll give you that.
"Most people would quit and give up in my situation right now. But I'm not most people and my mind works differently," the former world number one and two-time Olympic champion added.
"I won't quit. I will keep fighting and working to produce the performances I know I'm capable of."
Former U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick railed at the report and said nothing could detract from Murray's achievements.
"Can't take legacy away. Accomplishment lives forever," he posted on X.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
