Andy Murray says he is “proud” of his great performance in Doha despite losing to Daniil Medvedev in the last round of the Qatar Open.
With eight match points in four games, including five in the semi-finals against Jiří Lechecki, Murray knew he had to do his job against No. 3 Medvedev.
And it turned out that Murray, despite being behind in both sets, was down 6-4, 6-4 to his former world number one.
“It was an incredible week. Of course, it didn’t end the way I wanted it to, but I played some great games here and made great memories. It was great to be in the final again,” said Murray, who climbed 18 places in the rankings on Monday and finished in 52nd place.
“Daniel is one of my favorite players and one of the best players on the tour. It was great for me to get another chance to play against someone of his level in the final. There are definitely things I need to work on.
“I am proud of my week and the work that I and my team have put in to get me back on the podium.”
Murray’s recent exploits didn’t go unnoticed this week: The 35-year-old laughed after the final when Medvedev, converting his second match point, said: “I was like, ‘Oh my God, I have match point.’ against Andy is not one good sign.”
Next up for Murray is the United Arab Emirates ATP 500, the Duty Free Dubai Tennis Championship, which kicks off on Monday, meaning the three-time Grand Slam champion’s next match is just a few days away.
Murray, who won this tournament in 2017, will face a difficult debut against No. 5 seed Hubert Gurkacs, while Novak Djokovic will be a potential opponent in the quarter-finals if Murray wins his first two games.
That’s not out of the question for Murray, who beat Gurkacs in his last match two years ago in Vienna with world No. 84 Alexei Popyrin as a possible opponent in the second round.
Medvedev meanwhile hopes for his 17th birthday.e tour name.
“[It was] tough game,” Medvedev said after the victory. “It was a bit windy today, so we both struggled to find our rhythm…Today was a big fight for both of us. Sometimes we played badly, then both played great, and I’m glad I won.
“I managed to gain momentum in Rotterdam. The first two games I played there were tough. I didn’t feel very good before this tournament and then I started against Felix in the quarterfinals. [Auger-Aliassime]I started to find my rhythm.
“I started playing really well. Better serve, better move. Andy had a hard time giving me a lot of balls today, and now the question is [if it] you can continue. I will try as long as I can.”
Source: I News
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